Four Tickets To Paradise
"Are we there yet?" Katya asked, grinning at the trite yet traditional question.
All four of them had met up at the library early in the morning to fly their staffs down the coast to the Pelvis. The resort was located at Iliac Cove, the point between the Titan's waist and pelvis, where the bay, enclosed by a ring of barrier islands, settled the waves and somehow kept the Boiling Sea from completely boiling. The result was a relaxingly warm inlet perfect for swimming year-round.
"About five minutes," Steve reported, glancing at a small scrying mirror. He'd kept up his studies after the Collector's brief era, mentored by Lilith on occasion, and was making real headway in Oracle magic. "We should be able to see the resort soon."
Just as he said it, the steamy mists of the Boiling Sea parted to reveal a small island with its own seaside town. The resort glittered on the coast of the island facing the mainland, flanked by snow-white beaches.
"It looks beautiful," Willow mused.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Katya asked with a smile. "Let's go see if they're up to the hype!" With that, she sped up her palisman Herc and rocketed toward the island, everyone else following quickly behind. They followed air traffic signs and landed on the Titan-side pier to be met by resort security and escorted to the main resort.
As they walked, Hunter casually took in his friends' attire. Steve was in his usual red-on-yellow, named-emblazoned shirt over a brown, long-sleeved undershirt and brown cargo pants with boots — things may change, but Steve's personal style did not. Katya was wearing a loose shirt with narrow, light blue and white stripes over a purple tank top, low-waisted denim pants torn in a few places, wedge-heeled leather sandals, and her favorite choker necklace. And Willow was wearing a short green dress with teacup sleeves cinched with a leather belt, goldenrod tights, and her favorite ankle boots — much the same as she had worn in Gravesfield, and it made him blush with how cute she was, even nearing eighteen. Hunter himself was wearing a simple linen shirt with laces at the collar, loose denim pants, and his favorite boots. He blinked his thoughts away as they entered the resort proper … and all stopped with wide eyes.
"Holy Titan," they all said in perfect, unplanned unison.
The lobby was carved from top-tier Titan Bone, mined from the sides of the Knee. Titan's Bone could have various colorings from exposure to the steam of the Boiling Sea, altitude, and wind exposure, and the resort had used the classical snow-white for the floors, with the walls and ceiling incorporating warm, ochre-red that was found near what had been large marrow sites when the Titan lived. The colors created a marvelous contrast that still made one feel awed, but welcomed.
"Wow," Katya gasped, soaking in the carved filigree along the walls and ceiling. "This is magnificent."
"You're telling me," Steve said. "And I worked in the castle."
"I grew up in the castle," Hunter said, "and this is a step beyond."
"It's warmer than that terrible place," Willow said. "That probably helps."
Everyone looked at her and shrugged or nodded in acceptance. Then Willow led the way to the reception desk and presented her passes with a winning smile. The attendant, a pig-like Suarian demon wrapped in a shawl over her resort uniform, examined the passes and fed them to a nearby bug demon of indeterminate type before listening to its song and nodding. She entered some information into a crystal ball and handed them all ornate skeleton keys.
"Here you all are," she said pleasantly. "These keys will unlock your rooms and offer access to all of our many amenities. If you will hand off your luggage to our bellhop," she gestured to a large, muscled Tarvic demon with a nose ring who seemed to savor the chance to show off his strength. He picked up their bags like they weighed nothing and hoofed it ahead to have it in their rooms as soon as possible.
"Who wants to grab our swimwear and hit the beach?" Katya asked. Everyone enthusiastically agreed and they all made their way to the elevators that took them up to their floor. They found their door and were surprised that it was a set of double doors with their room numbers on either side. Steve took the lead to open them, revealing a well-appointed central den and kitchenette and two bedrooms with king-sized beds that further led to a shared balcony.
"Oh, wow," Willow sighed. "This is not what I expected."
"It's better than I expected!" Katya cackled, putting her fingers to her lips and whistling to send her luggage and Willow's soaring into the far-right room. "Chaperoning starts now, you two," she said with a teasing grin, steering Willow by the shoulders toward their chosen room. "Get dressed quick, boys!"
Katya closed the door … and immediately began stripping without a hint of shame. Willow blink and blushed. "Uh, Katya …?" she prompted.
Katya looked at her as she rolled her tank top off, her sandals and overshirt already tossed onto one side of the bed. She huffed a laugh and rolled her eyes as she tossed her tank top, too. "C'mon, Willow," she said in a sisterly tone, "we're both girls, here." She stripped her pants and tossed them as well, leaving her only in her underwear.
Willow's blush grew as she stiffly began undressing herself. Katya had the kind of slim, shapely body that made casual underwear look like lingerie, and the innate, inborn sensuality that only enhanced the effect. Most women would kill for natural allure like that, and at one time Willow might have been one of them. She was far more confident in herself after meeting Luz and joining the Plant track — not to mention after everything else, including having a loving boyfriend — but she couldn't help a natural tingle of jealousy. Especially when Katya was bent over at the waist rifling through her bag for her swim wear, somehow even making that look graceful.
Katya straightened with a victorious shout as she found her bikini and began to shed her underwear, too. She glanced at Willow, who looked away and continued removing her own clothes. "Everything alright?" Katya asked from outside Willow's vision. "If you don't want to go to the beach, we can find something else-"
"It's not that," Willow said quickly. "I love the beach." She finally finished undressing and turned away to dig in her own suitcase for her swimsuit.
"So what's wrong?" Katya asked from behind.
"Nothing's wrong. Really," Willow said. Then she felt her magic tingling under her skin and remembered that day they had returned to the Boiling Isles, when repressing her emotions had led to terrible consequences. "It's just …" Willow sighed. "I struggled with my looks a lot growing up. I've gotten a lot better, but seeing how effortlessly beautiful you are makes some old insecurities well up." She found her swimsuit and clenched it in her fist. 'That's not fair to you and I'm sor-"
Willow stopped at a light touch on her shoulder and turned around to find Katya wrapped in a thin cotton robe that fancy places provided for modesty on the way to and from the pool. Katya was looking at her with a soft, understanding smile that somehow brought Luz or Camila to mind. "We all have insecurities, Willow," she said, and it wasn't condescending or placating. It was an honest fact. "And for what it's worth," her eyes tracked up and down Willow, and the corner of her lips rose in an unfairly attractive smirk, "you're damn beautiful yourself." She patted Willow's shoulder and passed her another thin robe. "Hunter's a lucky man. Don't ever forget it."
She left the room without fanfare and Willow couldn't help her warm, thankful smile as she finished changing.
"How're your joints doing?" Steve asked as he slipped into his own cotton robe and tied it off. He was tempted to glance over his shoulder to check on Hunter, but knew how much the guy's scars made him uncomfortable.
"They're fine," Hunter replied, tying off his own robe and tapping Steve's shoulder, smiling tightly in thanks for his discretion. "Yours?"
"Same old, same old," Steve breezed. Scout training had not been easy on anyone — at all, ever — but Hunter'd had way more scars than anyone else even before the possession that left more than half his body covered. Now everyone knew why. He clapped Hunter on the shoulder in a distinctly big-brother way. "You sure you wanna come down? I know you don't like the beach."
"It's fine," Hunter said, and then he flushed pink. "Willow loves the beach."
"You're a good man, Hunter," Steve said, his heavy tone belying his wide smile.
"Thanks," Hunter sighed.
Hunter was thrilled at becoming a big-brother figure to Luz, and happy that she had filled the younger-sister place for him, but Steve was the big brother he'd never had, going as far back as being the friendliest scout he'd known in the Emperor's Coven.
"C'mon, let's not keep the ladies waiting," Steve said and strolled out of the room, Hunter following close behind.
When everyone was gathered, they headed for the beach, taking a path of stepping stones surrounded by ice-white gravel to the resort's private stretch of the beach. Umbrellas were set up and spaced well, and only about half of them were in use. They picked a spot and Steve traced a spell that summoned a casket full of ice and drinks, and another with sandwiches. He also traced a spell that settled a thin sheen of Healing magic over each of them to protect them from sunburn.
"Well, the water's calling our name," Katya said and shed her robe, her eyes locked on Steve's.
Even though he knew it was coming and had seen her swimwear before, Steve's brain skipped a few cycles at the sight of his goddess of a fiancee. Katya was wearing a strapless, low-cut, crimson bikini with a gold ring connecting the front, paired with a low-riding bottom with gold rings at the hips. Steve felt his head spin and he shook it off to remove his own robe and reveal his tight, black swim shorts, as well as his sculpted abs littered with pale scars.
Katya practically purred and drew into Steve's personal space, eyes half-lidded with desire. "I wonder if I could sand wood on those abs," she mused coyly, running her fingers over Steve's chest.
"Why's all this sand outside the hourglass?" Steve asked back, running his hands up and down her sides.
Katya snorted and laughed, "Oh Titan, that was terrible."
"Hey, cut me some slack," Steve replied mildly, eyes roaming, "it's hard to focus."
Katya blushed and giggled. "Okay, that one was better."
"I've been sitting on that one since you said the word 'beach,'" he admitted. Then he swept Katya up over his shoulder and screamed a battle charge toward the water, Katya's giggling protests caught on the wind.
Willow and Hunter stared open-mouthed for a minute. "How can those two be so hot and so cute at the same time?" Willow asked blankly.
"I wonder the same thing about you," Hunter said without thinking. He jolted as the words registered and he looked over at Willow, who was blushing hard at him. She smiled sweetly and took his face in her hands to kiss him, slowly and smoothly.
"Thank you, Hunter," she sighed. She fingered the hem of his robe and looked up at him. He nodded, and then she pushed them apart and off his frame to reveal an ash-grey, sleeveless swim shirt that conformed to his lean muscles and a pair of golden-yellow swim trunks. She sighed at how handsome Hunter was, scars and all.
Hunter took his cue to part Willow's robe in return to reveal a yellow, single-strap one-piece with an asymmetrical neckline and a small, frilly skirt around the waist. It clung to Willow like a second skin and highlighted the soft curves of her body, while also bearing the defined muscles of her arms. Hunter felt his breathing hitch and he placed his hands on Willow's waist, marveling at the magnificent young woman who held his heart.
"Is, erm, it hot out here?" Hunter asked, stammering a bit and tugging at his collar.
"Oh, I think it's just you," Willow giggled, walking her fingers up his chest. "Maybe we should head for the water."
"Okay," he wheezed, then yelped as Willow scooped him up and ran across the sand with bell-like laughter. Hunter gripped her tight, his heart racing as they plunged into the warm waves and Willow tried to toss him in. But Hunter was wise to that trick from many trips to Lake Lacuna and held on, bringing them both down into the sea with ever more laughs.
Steve and Katya looked on with warm smiles, leaning into each other and happy to see such strong young love.
"Who wants to have a cockatrice fight?!" Steve soon called, referring to a game very much like "Chicken Fight" in the human realm. After a couples' round that Steve and Katya dominated, both being taller than their counterparts, Katya suggested they swap partners. With Willow on Steve's shoulders and Katya on Hunter's, it was much more even.
It took a while, but soon enough Willow's flyer derby training gave her an edge and she sent Katya toppling off of Hunter with a shriek.
"Yeah!" Steve shouted, shaking his shoulders to make Willow laugh. "Victory for Steve and Willow!"
"Alright, don't rub it in," Katya said easily, wringing saltwater from her ponytail, "because Willow and I'll smoke you two at backstaff." She looped her arm with Willow's and marched them both to a nearby spiderweb net and field, Hunter and Steve shrugging and racing to catch up.
When the teams were set — women versus men, as Katya had declared — all of them summoned their staffs capped by their palismen. Katya also summoned a ball made of grubber, a springy material made from the boiled blood of the grubber tree that reacted strongly to palisman magic, and styled like an eye as traditional for backstaff.
Like flyer derby, backstaff was a game that had fallen out of favor with the decline of palismen during Belos's reign, and for the same reason. But with the palisman resurgence that had returned flyer derby to the Isles's popular consciousness, backstaff had made a similar comeback.
The game was relatively simple. Equal teams, usually of two against two, would be situated on two sides of a low spiderweb strung between two poles. Using their staffs, the players would throw the ball to try and clear the net and the opposing team's border for points, while having their palismen catch the ball with their magic before it could cross their territory, while striking the net would lose them a point. Whether the palismen kept their legs bound to their interlock mattered little as the ball would react to their will rather than their physical grip.
Everyone checked with their palismen for their consent, as was not only traditional but courteous, and Willow, as the youngest player, gave the first serve. Willow's experience in sports, be it flyer derby or grudgby, served her well, while Katya was happy to show the strength of a bard and the bond she had with her rhinoceros beetle palisman, Herc. Steve had played backstaff several times since he had bonded with his three-faced monkey, Trivius, and while Hunter had never actually played, he was familiar with the rules and his natural athleticism helped him catch on quickly.
As the game wore on, all of the players physically fit and having strong bonds with their palismen, they began to draw a crowd. From families to elders and every age in between, they gathered to watch with awe.
Soon, the game was set at a match-point of thirteen, all four of the players hot and sweaty. Steve and Katya had been confidently bantering the whole while, while Willow and Hunter gave each other encouragement. The last serve was from Hunter, who primed and served with hard-earned confidence. The serve was caught by Katya, who grunted under the force and slung it back toward Steve. Steve caught the ball and whirled to send it hurtling back at Willow, full-speed, and Willow struck the ball with the shaft of her stuff to send it soaring into the air. She jumped and struck the ball to send it hurtling to the sand below, right between the boys.
"Yes!" Katya shouted with triumph, hefting her staff.
"We did it!" Willow cheered.
"Good job, girls," Hunter says between haggard breaths.
"Nice work, ladies," Steve called, panting as he leaned on Trivius. "And your prize," he gestured at their spot on the beach, "is first serve from the lunch casket!" The girls laughed and joined their fiance and boyfriend, teasingly looping their arms around their waists to "carry" the boys to the shade.
After a quick lunch of sandwiches filled with chatter and laughter and a few more hours in the surf, everyone packed up, returned their robes, and headed back to the resort. They discussed dinner options on the way and decided on the resort's restaurant, agreeing to clean up and head down within the hour.
Hunter tugged at the collar of his dark button-up under an emerald green blazer and tucked into matching slacks. He'd really gotten used to casual clothes in the last four years and found formal clothes rather restrictive for someone raised in them. Willow, dressed in a golden-yellow sleeveless dress with a sweetheart neckline and ruffled skirt, giggled and undid the top button to let her boyfriend breathe.
"Better?" she asked.
"Much," he sighed with relief, leaning into Willow with a small smile.
As if on cue, the doors to the bedrooms opened to reveal Steve dressed in a dark, close-fitting suit with his name stenciled into the right breast in red thread, and polished loafers, while his hair was stylishly slicked back. Katya wore a white button-up blouse with a scoop neckline, paired with a scarlet skirt, black tights, and flats.
They all made their way down to the resort's restaurant area, a large ballroom with round tables, a dance floor, and a live band, surrounded by buffet-style serving tables. A waiter escorted them to a four-person table and instructed them on the buffet before leaving to fetch their drinks.
As it turned out, they were just in time for the dinner show. An Athenene demon dressed in a jerkin and shawl of an old-fashioned storyteller was using fire magic to tell the tale of the Titan-Archivist War, or at least a dramatized version of it. During the reconstruction period, King had taken it upon himself to record and publish the tale of his father and lost kinsmen. With Luz's help, of course. The book, Fall of the Titans, remained a Boiling Isles bestseller.
Katya spent the time quietly heckling the performer's bombastic and somewhat insensitive portrayal of the Titan race, though everyone had to admit that the man's use of fire magic to illustrate his stories was masterful. By the time it was done, everyone had had their fill and they shambled back to their shared room, pleasantly tired from the day's events.
"Okay," Steve said as he opened the door, "before we all hit the mattresses, we have something very important to discuss." He and Katya stood beside each other, his arms crossed and her's on her hips like firm parents, though they were both grinning. "Sleeping arrangements," he continued. "Do we bunk by gender or by relationship?"
Willow and Hunter's jaws dropped as deep red arose on their cheeks and spread over their faces. "Wh-Wha…?!" they sputtered in almost identical falsettos.
"You heard him," Katya said, her glittering eyes showing just how much she was enjoying this.
"Buh-buh-buh-" Willow stuttered. "B-But my papa! He- You-!"
"Aren't you supposed to be chaperoning us?" Hunter said, somehow not stumbling over his words.
"The point of chaperoning," Steve said, "is that the chaperones supervise using their own judgment." He sighed through his nose and uncrossed his arms to place his palms together. "Katya and I have discussed it. And in our judgment-"
"You two are more than mature enough to make your own damn decisions in your relationship," Katya finished.
The affianced couple waited for that to sink in before Steve reiterated. "So, which arrangements?"
Willow and Hunter looked at each other, eyes wide and blushes burning bright. They held each others' gazes, silently communicating as well as any palisman. They came to a decision …
"Don't feel bad, Willow," Katya said, her tone supportive. She was releasing her hair from its high ponytail, flipping the long, dark tresses in a motion that seemed too graceful for anyone outside of a movie screen. She had changed into a low-cut, sleeveless, silky purple nightgown that hugged her curves like every piece of clothing she seemed to own.
"I kind of do," Willow said, her knees pulled up under her chin as she sat on the bed, the covers folded back for bed. She too had changed into sleepwear of a soft yellow shirt and spring-green pajama pants, floral socks covering her feet. "I mean, I want to be that way with Hunter." Mother Titan, didn't she! "But to have that option in reach so suddenly, it-" She sighed and dipped her chin to hide her mouth behind her knees, groaning with frustration.
"Willow, there's no pressure," Katya said, settling on her side of the bed. One funny thing about a famously romantic resort was that each room had a single king-size bed. "Not from me and Steve, at least," she added with a suggestive smile.
"Am I a bad girlfriend?" Willow wondered aloud.
"Do you think Hunter was any more comfortable than you?" Katya asked, her tone more serious. Willow shook her head. "Then you were a great girlfriend," Katya said. She placed a hand on Willow's head and ran her fingers through the girl's hair, freed from her trademark braids and gently curling.
"Willow, this is why Steve and I are offering you two this kind of freedom," Katya said gently, still brushing her hair. Willow looked up at her in confusion. "Most teenagers would have dived headfirst into the hormones and probably taken each other right then and there," she shrugged and laughed faintly at Willow's look of shock. "But you two? You care so much about each other that you backed off to think, for yourselves as much as each other."
"So that's … a good sign?" Willow asked.
"It's a very good sign," Katya assured. "You respect each other too much to do anything too reckless." She removed her fingers from Willow's hair and tapped them to her forehead. "You've got a good head on your shoulders, Willow," she said, then moved her hands to below Willow's collarbone. "Just remember to listen to your heart. You're a good person, and it won't lead you astray."
"Thank you, Katya," Willow whispered, her lip wobbling against her smile.
"It's why I'm here," Katya shrugged and snuggled into the comforter, clutching a body pillow that she had brought with her. Willow giggled and removed her glasses before turning off the bedside lamp and snuggling up, too.
Neither woman would have guessed that the men were having a similar conversation.
Hunter was sitting upright, brows crinkled in deep thought while Steve was stretched out trying to get comfortable. Hunter wore an old-fashioned sleepshirt with laces at the collar over loose shorts, while Steve had on long, red pajama pants under the comforter and no shirt, his chiseled muscles and faded scars plain to see.
"You okay, man?" Steve finally asked, his arm over his eyes.
"Just thinking," Hunter said.
"That's obvious," Steve commented. "I can practically hear your thoughts whirling." He moved his arm and sat up alongside Hunter. "Wanna talk about it?"
Years ago, Hunter would have vehemently refused, considering such an offer to be an accusation of weakness. But that Hunter was deep in the past thanks to the efforts of his eclectic found-family, his loving girlfriend, and the therapist recommended by Steve.
"I guess I'm mostly wondering if …" Hunter started, biting his lip for a moment before carrying on. "If Willow would really be okay with you and Katya's offer."
"Why wouldn't she be?" Steve asked.
"I don't know," he groaned, digging his fingers into his hair. "I mean, I know she loves me, and I know I love her." His face softened with loving affection before anxiety twisted his expression again. "I don't want to hurt her by going too fast, or being too sudden. And I don't want to disrespect her dads. I just-" He sighed and his arms flopped to the sheets. "I just wish I knew what to do, like a normal person."
Steve processed this for a moment before looking at Hunter. "First off, Hunter, no one is all that normal. Especially in regards to relationships." Hunter looked at him quizzically, and Steve waved away the statement. "But more to the point, let me ask you something kind of personal." Hunter tilted his head, a sign of acquiescence. "How, erm, far have you and Willow gone?"
Hunter blinked at the question and arched an eyebrow. "Is this the guy talk I've heard about?" His expression flattened. "Because your brother tried that once and I punched him in the face."
Steve barked a laugh. "I remember that! He whined about it for a week." Steve stifled his laughter behind his hand, cognizant of the girls next door. Only when he'd settled a moment later did he address Hunter's question. "Not the dumb kind. But it might help me help you."
Hunter nodded, and his cheeks flushed as he considered how to answer. "We've, um," he swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing. "We've kissed. We've," he grimaced, "made out." He shuddered at the crass term, wishing he knew a more … romantic one. "We've done that a lot. And we've, uh, explored … all above the waist." He took a breath and blew it slowly out. "And by that I mean with hands and lips."
"Wow," Steve said proudly, clapping him on the shoulder. "My man."
"Steve," Hunter protested, shaking off the contact. Steve laughed with honest humor and lifted his hands in surrender.
"I think that is a pretty solid sign that she wants to be with you." He lifted his eyebrows in a significant gesture. "And I do mean be with you."
Hunter tried to smile, but it came out more as a flat line. "But how do I know the right time to try?" He frowned. "What if I hurt her?"
"You won't," Steve said, his tone unshakable in its conviction. "You love her too much. Anyone could see that." He hummed in thought and nodded to himself. "Would you like some advice on that front?"
"Please," Hunter said tightly.
"Use the three C's," Steve told him. "Consent, Communication, and Care." He lifted a hand and lifted his index finger. "Consent: respect each other and your boundaries." He smiled. "But that also means respecting when both of you want to keep going, as well as when to slow down." A second finger came up. "Communication: talk to each other. Be open and honest, both about your feelings and during the act itself." He shrugged. "It's way less awkward than it sounds, especially with how comfortable you two are with each other." A third finger rose, the one bearing his own engagement ring of plain bone. "And caring: you both love each other, and that won't change. Be confident in that — you could call that a fourth C, confidence, if you like — and keep it in the front of your mind." He reached over and prodded Hunter's sternum.
"Galdorstone or not, Hunter, you have good heart." He splayed his fingers. "Listen to it and you won't go wrong."
Steve removed his hand and Hunter's eyes were shimmering. "Thanks, Steve," he said, his voice tight.
"Anytime," he grinned, then sighed with evident tiredness. "Except maybe any more tonight." He lay back down and rolled over to face away from Hunter and the lamp. "Get some rest. We've got a long day of vacationing tomorrow."
Hunter rolled his eyes and turned off his lamp, sliding to lay on his back and let his thoughts wander until he fell asleep.
Rather predictably, most of those thoughts concerned his lovely lady. Just as predictably, Willow's often involved Hunter.
Second chapter is here, and I hope you liked it!
*I was originally going to place the resort in the desert of Palm Stings, but realized early in this chapter that the desert would no longer be on the seashore thanks to Belos lifting the Titan's arm. Darn it, Belos - you ruined my plan!
*Titan's Bone is mentioned in "Them's The Breaks, Kid" by Lilith and Eda as one of the Titan's humors. I have adopted it as a rich building material, like marble, limestone, or granite.
*Suarian demons are pig-like demons based on the background character that resembles a four-eyed pig with a shawl draped over him, most recognizable as the bounty stall guy from "Separate Tides." His attire makes me think they are a spiritual kind of demon.
*A Tavric demon is a bull-like demon, based on the older demon lady who is best seen participating in the Bonesborough Brawl or being lovey-dovey with another elderly lady in Steve and King's joyride.
*Willow's outfit as they arrive is the same as her outfit when she, Gus, Amity, and Vee are exploring Gravesfield, only without the cotton jacket.
*I love the idea of Boiling Isles coolers being coffins.
*Backstaff is like a fusion of lacrosse equipment and form with tennis rules and a dash of volleyball. It struck me as a fun twist while devising a volleyball substitute and wondering if staffs could be incorporated. And voila!
*Trivius is a slight variation on the name for Steve's palisman that I gave him in the "Bonding With BATs."
*Athenene demons are the ones who, like a Plant track student at Hexside, are bald and whose scalps resemble hands holding their brains in, with a little of them visible between the fingers. The name comes from Athena, who was supposedly born from Zues's head after Hephestus split it open.
As always, I hope you enjoyed this! Leave a review if you like! And may your own works be fun to read and to write!