I hope you will enjoy some more Luck POV!

Chapter 22: (Un)Conventional

Luck didn't really do too well with the bath at their base. The hot water messed with his mana perception, making his head funny and thoughts fuzzy. He avoided soaking in the bath for too long. He preferred the upper floor bathroom with the tub, which he could quickly shower in. But, he never could forego the chance to go with Magna to the downstairs spacious bath and then proceed to shock the living hell out of the poor Fire Mage as soon as he was out of the water. Or, sometimes even when he was inside the water. Lightning magic really didn't do much to him. Made him tingle a bit, but that was it. Kind of like static electricity. On the other hand, it made the Fire Mage go nuts and yell, firing off spells at random until Yami went insane at them.

Today, though, Luck was tired. He was so tired that he didn't even bother egging Magna on. He almost fell asleep in the hot tub, in fact. It was only because of the said Fire Mage that he managed to get up to his room and pull on some underwear and a shirt before diving headfirst into his pillow and hugging it to his body. It smelled like it always did, of his laundry detergent. He found that he missed the smell Nova had left behind in his bed that one odd day she'd slept there. It had made his head stop buzzing somehow, at least for a while. Or, at least until Vanessa had discovered that he hadn't washed his sheets in a week and blown a fuse, almost tearing them off his bed. Luck hadn't been a happy camper for a few days after that.

He was just beginning to drift off, endless images of the fight he'd been in on the latest mission in his head, when his door slammed open and then closed. And then, without warning, that scent filled his nostrils. Herbs and lavender. Like green and pale purple. He knew who had barged into his room without even sensing out their mana.

"No," Luck mumbled into his pillow, burrowing his head deeper into it. His rejection was met with an exasperated huff.

"Come on, Lucky," Nova's voice sent a tingle through him. Like static electricity. Something had changed. Definitely. He was sick, or something. It had started when he spent all that time at the Tower, in Nova's room. He surely was coming down with something, because his head would get so hot sometimes. And his stomach would hurt sometimes. And his limbs would go cold sometimes. It was an illness, for certain. Something was wrong. Something had changed. "I've got a mission for you. Lots of gory fighting, I'm sure." Luck rolled over in his bed, picking his head up to look at her while he still hugged his pillow. Again, there were the symptoms. His chest felt tight. His head was hot.

"'M tired," he grumbled. "I just got back." Nova's hair was down. She usually had it up when she was working at the Tower and he'd gotten used to it. But, now, it was down. She had really long hair, Luck realized. Long dark hair, black like the night. That was his. And those green eyes, like the forest. His, too. But, when she let her hair down it really did something. Made her look… different. But what really made her look different was the smile she gave him then, walking over with a shrug. She sat on the edge of his bed and more symptoms appeared. He couldn't feel his fingers anymore. Perhaps it was a curse of some kind? But his Nova wouldn't curse him. Not intentionally, at least. He had to be coming down with something.

"There's an outbreak of an illness near Spade," she told him. "I'm setting off for it with Will in an hour. Since it's close to Spade, could be some strong opponents about… But I guess you're tired. I'll leave you to sleep, 'kay?" She reached over and patted one of his hands that was clutching the pillow. "I'll see if Magna wants to go instead." Luck ignored the spark of static electricity which went up his arm from the spot which she touched in order to frown at her in irritation.

"I'm going," he grunted, sitting up in his bed. When the sheet fell off his body, revealing his nightclothes, he saw Nova quickly look away and blush profusely. It looked odd on her pale face. "What are you, some ancient time maiden? It's just a bit of leg," he teased, which made her whip her head at him, sending her hair flying.

"I'm not used to it!" She defended, making Luck smirk.

"We've shared a room before. Besides, ain't you a healer? Seen plenty of naked legs?" He couldn't help himself. The way she was blushing made him want to push. To finally get a rise out of her. Maybe get her to try and fight him. He really did want to see her fighting. That was his, also.

"A hurt leg is one thing, a naked leg is another thing!" Nova still defended, before getting up from the bed, still profusely glaring at him and reaching for the waist of her pants. Luck was fascinated by those eyes of hers. He'd been fascinated by her eyes for so long, he realized. Green like the treetops. Like the leaves in spring. Green like the woods. His. She even smelled green like the herbs she worked with. Like home. Before his tired brain could catch up, Nova undid the top of her pants and tucked her thumbs inside the rim. "Completely different matters! I'll prove it to you!" And, Nova dropped her pants. For a moment, there was silence. Luck's gaze went down from the green forest eyes and the hair which was really neatly brushed straight and he spotted pale purple panties with lace… which led to legs. Pale legs. Probably soft to the touch legs. Likely very nice legs to sleep on. Definitely well-toned legs. They went on and on, down to the bundle of the pants on the floor. Then, his eyes went up those legs again, to the point where they turned into thighs and then joined into Nova's ass, which he couldn't see very well. But, it definitely looked good in those lace panties. He knew she had a good ass. He'd snuck a peak before. But, something about the panties only was different. His brain really wasn't working right. Probably, he was coming down with something. Still, they were his, too. Luck looked further up, not really sure where any of this was going. Still, his head was so hot. His stomach hurt something horrible. He was surely sick. His Nova's face was really red and her eyes looked like she would cry. Like mildew on the forest leaves. She was pursing her lips at him, but there was this faint expression of shock on her face, like she hadn't entirely been in control of her actions. Luck finally managed to force air into his uncooperative lungs and opened his mouth when his door slammed into the wall once again.

"Nova, did you wake- W-what the fucking hell is going on here?!" They both turned to Magna, mouths flapping open soundlessly like fish out of the water. And then, Nova was scrambling for her pants, Magna's face was red and Luck was jumping to get his clothes.

It was too early in the morning. Way too early for him to be up and about, considering when he'd come in. In the cool air of the morning, without a single ray of sun, still, Luck was shivering a bit and yawning to himself, sleep still in his eyes and head. He'd managed to catch a few hours of it in Nova's bed after arriving at the Tower while waiting for the rest of the group. He'd slept like a baby there, whether due to the scent of herbs and lavender which lingered in the sheets and pillows or because of the fact that he was literally dead on his feet, he didn't know. Still, he had managed to groggily get up when Nova woke him up once again and then shuffled behind her outside to stand in the cold rather tamely. He'd even managed to control his yawning after a while. However, he kept seeking the warmth of her clearly-awake and very pleasantly toasty body next to him, going so far as to shamelessly tuck his head into her neck while they were waiting. It was his Nova, after all. What did it matter if he clung to her when they were alone or when they were with other people.

"Are you certain," Luck heard the healer next to Nova whispering to her uneasily. "-that this is the group we should be taking?" He didn't resist it. He zapped the man, making him glare back hotly. However, Nova patted Luck's head nestled on her shoulder absent-mindedly and replied.

"Yes, this is the perfect group," she confirmed. "We have the perfect offense with this combination right here," she let go of Luck's hand and wriggled out of his grasp, which left a spark running through his skin, in order to point at Magna and the redheaded Mage on the other side of the small group. "Then we have the perfect base setup between the two of these handsome fellows," she grinned at the pale man next to the redhead and Finral while grinning widely next. "Combined with the two of us, we could conquer the world with this group," Nova concluded, offering a smile a tad too bright to all of them. It was too early for a smile like that in Luck's opinion. Though, he didn't object to it. He liked that smile. He knew that he did. He knew that much. It still made his stomach hurt. His fingers were numb. He was so sleepy. He still knew that he liked that smile, even though it made his symptoms worse.

"Miss Nova, you give us too much credit," the redhead commented with a smile of his own, interrupted by a yawn at the very end of his sentence. Upon seeing it, Luck couldn't help himself. He yawned. Next was Magna and then, the whole group was yawning.

"Oh by the Wizard Ki-wah-" Will started, but yawned in the middle. "Let's set out before something else spreads," he chuckled. "We can get better acquainted and strategize during the first stop for breakfast." And thus, the whole odd arrangement of Knights and healers hopped onto their brooms and took off into the still dark sky. Luck saw Nova struggling for a moment and giggled to himself. His head was finally clearing up, the sleepiness going away in the wake of the before-mission excitement.

Their trip via flight was rather short. They stopped a mere three hours away from the Capital, in a small village on the way to the Spade Kingdom, looking for breakfast and refreshments. Luck descended easily, now finally fully alert to his surroundings. Of course, he'd been unable to resist zapping the Crimson Lions Knights who were accompanying them on the mission, getting an earful from Nova for it. Though, the redheaded one gave him a grin which promised at least a good spar in the near future. So, the lecture had been worth it.

The two healers arranged the logistics of their journey while Luck and the rest of the Knights made themselves cozy in the small dining space of the village inn. When the healers rejoined the group and before the food arrived, the man Luck had come to know as Will took out a map and laid it out onto the table.

"I know this mission was a bit inconvenient for a lot of you, so my apologies first and foremost to the Black Bulls," he said, nodding to the three Bulls at the table. Then, he pointed to the section of the map where their kingdom bordered with Spade. "The details of the task are as follows: we've received a request for medical assistance from this village, as you can see very close to the Spade Kingdom, with an outline of the situation. They have been suffering from a type of disease which has a high mortality rate and numerous symptoms. Our group is tasked with determining the cause of the plague and containing it within the outbreak area."

"Setting up quarantine, then?" The redheaded Lion asked. Will nodded.

"Triage will be one of our priorities and I will be in charge of it," he confirmed. "Nova will take investigation of the source of the disease." Luck glanced at the girl, seeing her eyes hard, but determined. She nodded.

"I was hoping to have a base set up in the non-infected section of the village, with Theo at the head of it," she told them. "His magic is best suited for keeping tabs on all of us at all times and allowing for smooth exchange of information. Finral would also be key in this operation, his spatial magic allowing for everyone to be wherever they needed, whenever they are needed."

"I will need to walk the perimeter of the village before I'm stationed at the headquarters," Finral spoke up, looking at the map. "My spatial magic works only in places I've been to before." Will nodded.

"We will separate into groups upon arrival, then," he said. "Nova and I will set up the base with Theo, before we continue onto our tasks. I would like to request at least one of the battle-equipped mages to be with us healers at all times, for safety purposes."

"I'm going with Nova," Luck immediately piped up, putting his hand up. At Will's raised eyebrow he gave him a bright smile. "It could be troublesome leaving the village during this time, best to give her some proper firepower in case of an emergency."

"I don't need-"

"Alright," Will interrupted the girl's protests. "You will be in charge of keeping her safe. Don't let anyone interrupt her while she's working, so that she can be as efficient as possible." Luck nodded. "Keep an eye out for any villagers looking to leave the epicenter of the disease, as well."

"Not a problem," Luck saluted.

"Then, I will be your bodyguard, Mr. William," the redheaded Lion spoke up. "My magic is best suited for close-combat, so I believe I will be most useful in this position."

"Perfect," Will said. "This leaves Magna to be in charge of the check-in point which we will set up as the only entrance and exit to the village." Magna grumbled at that.

"I'm also a battle suited mage."

"But you're not a noble," Will pointed out, his finger going up. "You negotiating with the villagers will be much easier than if we put someone with a higher social standing on this job. You being a commoner will make the conversation smoother and will definitely make it easier for us to get the cooperation which we need."

"I see," Magna thought for a moment, before he agreed. "I can see why I'd be good for that. I'm one of them, so to speak, and I can also stop them with force if need be." The healer nodded.

"Now that everyone is clear on their future assignments, here are the belated introductions," Will smiled at all of them, continuing as the waiters and waitresses began piling food onto their table. He hastily removed the map before it could get dirty. "I'm a healer at the Tower, directly serving under the Wizard King. My name is Will and my specialty are salves and healing magic, with my attribute being Fire," he theatrically presented Nova, who was doing her best to arrange plates for everyone while not interfering with the staff. "The lovely Nova is our newbie at the Tower, but she is quite skilled in surgery and curses. Her magic includes creation and she also uses magical tools."

"There's no need for such an extravagant introduction. Everybody already knows me," Nova grumbled, blushing. Luck grinned at her, zapping her across the ass, as he always did, enjoying the way she jumped a bit, almost dropping the utensils in her hands. She silently glared at him, but didn't comment. Luck missed the rest of the introductions, courtesy of Will, in favor of piling food onto his plate. On his right sat Magna, who was doing his best to pay attention to the conversation, but the savory breakfast proved too distracting. On the other side sat Finral, probably hoping to serve as a buffer between him and the redheaded Crimson Lion, who didn't shy away from Luck's inviting smile, and offered him a matching grin of his own all too often. Yes, this mission surely would bear fruit.

As they were getting ready to leave, packing up and waiting for the stragglers to come back from the outhouse, Magna leaned in and asked him: "What exactly did I walk in on with you two this morning?" Luck turned to him, face in a blank smile.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm asking why the both of you were half naked, you dumbass?!" At the volume, they got a curious look from the Crimson Lion's pale man, but Luck ignored him.

"Proving a point," he shrugged. Magna motioned with his hands for an elaboration. "I was sleeping and Nova woke me up, then she attempted to prove her point in our disagreement," he simply stated. He didn't understand why it was such a big deal. Nudity was normal at their base, seeing as Vanessa was part of their crew. The witch went around almost completely naked all the time. In the morning, Yami was often seen stumbling for the toilet in only his underwear. He really didn't see the issue.

"No, no, my man, she was naked," Magna countered. "That doesn't explain jack shit."

"How so?"

"Rightfully so!" Magna gripped his arm, pulling him back when he attempted to leave. "Is there something between you two, that's what I'm asking?" Luck looked at Magna's face and noticed the blush across his cheeks. Suddenly, he was irritated. His magic crackled around him.

"What does it matter?"

"It does," Magna said. "You're both my friends and I'd hate to see you two end up having a falling out over something stupid."

"Oh," his magic went dormant again. For a moment, he considered it. Nova was… Nova. She was his Nova, and that was it. What more was there to it? He really didn't understand the fuss, but if Magna was being this adamant in addressing it, he was probably missing something. Some social cue or the like. "I don't understand," he properly verbalized as Vanessa had counseled him to always do. "Nova is Nova, I'm me and you're you, what does that have to do with a falling out?" Magna's hand made contact with his forehead in a loud slap.

"I'm saying, are you attracted to her?"

"No." Was the icy, immediate reply. Magna frowned.

"Then why the-"

"It's go time, everyone," Will interrupted and Luck offered Magna a parting pat on his arm, with a little zap to it.

"Luck, you bastard!" All he did was giggle at that as he took off on his broom, evading the incoming fireball. However, after Nova made sure to fly between him and Magna and prevent any further fighting, quite literally, he couldn't stop thinking about what the Fire Mage had asked him about. Nova was a beautiful young woman, for certain. Luck wasn't made of stone. He was well aware of the social concept of beauty and he knew that Nova ticked almost all the boxes. She had curves and she had pretty, feminine features and her eyes were really nice. But, attraction? Attraction was the first step to the road of carnal pleasures which he'd sworn that he wouldn't walk down. Sure enough, he liked Nova. He liked spending time with her. Her presence made him feel at ease. She made him feel like himself. There was no need to worry about social concepts when around her. She didn't hesitate to tell him, bluntly and upfront, if he was doing something which she didn't appreciate. She explained the issue logically, which he liked. On the other hand, she was also someone who shared his interests. She liked reading and he liked the frequent intellectual debates which that brought about. In short, she was his Nova, and he wouldn't trade her for the world. What did that have to do with nudity or attraction? And what did their logical display of nudity have to do with his attraction? He really didn't understand, so he filed it into his section of 'to investigate further'.

Another stop was made for a packed lunch in the middle of the forest, a little ways off the main road they were following. Magna didn't bug him about his situation with Nova again, though by the looks he gave them both, the topic hadn't been put to rest. Luck didn't particularly care, either way. A hot topic would provide for a good trigger to get Magna to spar with him, after all.

"You're in the Crimson Lions, right?" Luck came over to the redhead as they finished their meals and took a short break to rest and recover their mana.

"I'm Leopold Vermillion, Voltia," the redhead proudly said. "I'm the Captain's brother." Luck's grin went wide. It was a perfect opportunity to blow off some steam.

"Then, you're strong?"

"Not as strong as my siblings, but I'm strong, yes," Leopold replied, a knowing smile on his face. "I heard you caused quite the commotion with our Squad last time we had a joint mission." Luck knew exactly where to poke.

"They weren't up to my standards in a fight," he told the redhead, ignoring the rising mana from the pale Knight on the side. It was the redhead who interested him. He was the stronger one.

"Oh? And I am?" Leopold stood, putting his plate away.

"You're certainly a good appetizer," Luck licked his lips, clocking the rising mana of his new opponent.

"I assure you that I'm nothing short of a main course," Leopold smiled widely and his grimoire went flying from its pocket. "I'll let you be the judge of my strength!" And then, Luck was flying back and away from the potent fire spell directed at him. He quickly manifested his boots, swinging them around to fire a lightning bolt at the Knight. He was aware of Will calling for them to stop, but the excitement was too much. He could only hear his own blood rushing so deliciously in his veins, the way it only did during a good battle. His muscles responded perfectly to his mana and the magic he conjured as he rushed at the Fire Mage kicking him away from their campsite.

Leopold managed to block, but he rose with a grin of his own. Soon enough, it was a proper battle. Luck didn't pay attention to the surrounding carnage, the woods burning, but instead he took account of every spell his opponent used and just how much of a dent they made in his mana signature. Zigzagging through the trees, he launched his own retaliation at the Crimson Lion, focused only on one thing – taking him down.

"You're not too bad," Leopold grunted, blocking his kick and firing a spell at his head. Luck evaded it but ducking to the side, spinning around the leg which was captured and hitting his other boot into the mage's side.

"I learned to surpass my limits!" He grinned wider, even, watching with satisfaction as his lightning wasn't completely blocked, sending a shock through the Fire Knight. "Right here and now!"

"Luck, dammit!" Before he could use another spell, something hit the back of his head, making him falter in his manifestation and molding of mana, which instead caused the spell to detonate more like an explosion of lightning than a proper, aimed spell. He coughed, shaking his head from the electrocution. The redhead, his lovely sparring partner, was on the ground, a little dazed. "No fighting with teammates!" Luck felt his ear get captured by firm fingers, the telltale scent of herbs and lavender behind him. "I swear, I leave to pee and you're making trouble already, you problem child!"

"Ah, no, Nova," Leopold was getting to his feet. "It was partially my fault, too. I indulged Voltia and accepted his challenge."

"But he started it, didn't he?" Nova's stern voice sent a shiver of static electricity down Luck's spine. She still hadn't let go of his ear. Leopold didn't reply to that. "There's no use covering for this goblin, I know that he goaded first." Then, Nova's face came into view, glaring at him deliciously. "I saw you giving Leo the side eye the whole time!" She huffed, her features relaxing and her expression becoming more exasperated than angry. "Seriously, Luck, we're in a time crunch here already. There's people dying."

"Then, will you fight me after the mission's done?" Luck asked, watching with amusement as Nova's eyebrow rose in irritation.

"If you keep at it, I'll spank you!" Leopold cracked up behind them, which didn't bother Luck one bit. It didn't bother him, because Nova wasn't looking at the laughing Knight. She was looking at him, offering him that annoyed smile. "I'll bet you a crepe if you behave."

"With chocolate syrup and whipped cream?" His attention strayed from the prospect of battle.

"And strawberries."

"Deal," he extended his hand to the girl and Nova let go of his ear, making it awfully cold in the wake of her fingers.

"Deal."

"Now I understand how it works," Luck heard Leopold say to Nova as they walked back towards the campsite through the burned woods.

"How what works?" The girl asked.

"Your taming of the problem children," the redhead chuckled. "You bribe them to be good." Nova laughed at that and Luck really couldn't say anything in his defense. He was a willing participant when it came to her bribes, after all.

That's all for now folks!

Reviews:

AmericanNidiot:
Thank you very much for the feedback!
I would definitely love to write about Nova and Elf Luck, so we'll hopefully get there soon enough XD
Best!

VG00:
Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad that you enjoyed the update :D

KEZZ 1:
Thanks so much for the feedback! I hope that you will enjoy the new update :D