"Oh... good... idea..." Sakitu replies between grunts and stifled giggles as she tries to squirm away. She swishes through the water to try to get behind Maka and then, standing up, she reaches for the tender spot at the corner of Maka's neck and shoulder with wriggling fingers. "Got you now!"
"Aggghhahahahaha!" Maka shouted as she wiggled around. "The ahahha curse hahaha is hahaha spreading ahahaha!"
"Done with boiling yourself?"Quasit nods. "Mm hmm. We wanted to be sufficiently tender for the feast tonight. You should have come, you could have seen Izzy naked."
"Whatcha making? A quilt?"
"I, am making a dress!" Selena says with an exaggerated snobbish pride as she gestures to the dress splayed out on Sakitu's bed.
It definitely looks fancy, like a noble would wear, but it seems like it'll be easier to move in than the dresses seen in the south.
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As the tickle fight ends Sakitu sees Fin getting out and ready to leave.
”Although I’d rather tarry here longer, Hlao-roo, I’m sufficiently shriveled like a prune for now…I’m gonna go back and get dressed for the celebration, perhaps practice my dance moves, I might be rusty. Do you want to go back with me or stay and play with Maka?"
She looks around and sees that Quasit has already left, or she's still behind the screen changing. And Maka seems to be getting ready to leave too. She nods. "Ok. Yeah, let's go back and get ready."
She let's Fin help her step out of the bath and tries to avoid watching his naked body. As task she is not successful at. While he dries off she also wraps herself in a towel and gathers her belonging.
As they leave down the corridor heading back to their rooms she is nervous. It isn't long before they arrive at their rooms. Fin's door is on the left and the door to her quarters is on the right and down the hallway a little further. "Well, I guess we should get ready then." She stands on her tippy toes and leans in for a kiss. When Fin's lips touch hers she almost buckles and she pulls back abruptly. Standing there with Fin half naked and herself barely covered in a towel and undergarments, she can barely manage the strange feelings inside her. "Uh. I guess we'll meet for dinner then." Before waiting for a reply, she races the few steps down the corridor, opens her door, then slips.
heads back to the room. He hangs up his damp clothes, along with the towel, before going thru his backpack; he retrieves some clean undergarments, dons them, and lays out his grandfather’s court outfit, awaiting Maka to heat out any kinks or wrinkles. As he awaits, Fin quietly goes thru some of the stretches Maka taught him in training sessions; he tries to mentally recall the different dance forms he had learned back in Kyonin and incorporate some of them into his stretches…
With the door firmly closed behind her, Sakitu leans against it with her back. She drops her soiled clothes on the floor, closes her eyes, and clutches the towel holding it tightly around her. Her heart is racing and her head is spinning. "This is stupid." she says to herself. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"
She opens her eyes. Her bag, the one that contains all her clothes, is on the bed. "I'm doing this!" She practically leaps across the room then digs through her bag. She finds clean underclothes and a dress for the evening. Then, before she can talk herself out of it, she returns to the hallway and struts to Fin's door. Still clutching the towel around her and with a bundle of clothes tucked under her arm, she knocks.
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Hearing the knock, Fin wraps the towel around his waist and answers the door. Seeing Sakitu still wrapped in her towel, he does his trademark arching of an eyebrow, followed with a warm smile. ”Sorry, Hlao-roo, I’m not quite dressed yet…but if that’s what you’re wearing to the dance, I wholeheartedly approve,” he quips…
Seeing the flushed look on her face, a more serious and concerned look comes into play, and the questions come rushing forth. ”Hlao-roo, is something wrong? Can I do something to help? Would you like to come in?”
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Sakitu nearly faints when Fin opens the door and she barely hears what he says. "I'm... uh... I want to come in. Yes. I want to come it." She steps forward and past him. A quick glance around the room shows her all his clothes laid out. No one else is in the room and she spins back to face Fin. "Close the door. Then we can get ready."
She giggles and then quickly covers her mouth. "I've never done anything like this before, you know. And," she stifles an even stronger giggle, "I left Selena and Quasit standing dumbstruck in our room. They probably have no idea what is happening." She tosses her new clothes on the bed on top of Fin's. "When is Bulvi coming back?"
As Saki and Fin left, Maka turned her sights on Bulvi. Her skillful hands finding their way to his inner thighs where she knew he was ticklish. After a few rounds of wrestling, Bulvi was finally able to plant a kiss on Maka and free her from her 'curse'.
The couple left Kal behind as the made their way back to the rooms, still giggling at their antics. The pair turned the corner towards their rooms right as Saki entered the boys' room. With a reflexive speed that could only come from years of training, Maka thrust herself and Bulvi back behind the wall. Maka was wide eyed as she placed a hand over Bulvi's mouth and made a shushing motion.
Once the sound of the door closing echoed off the stonework, Maka took a quick peek from behind the wall. Seeing the coast clearing, she quickly pulled Bulvi into the girls room. "Keep your eyes closed!" She harshly whispered to her lover as she pulled him inside and closed the door.
"Quasit, something is happening!" Maka did her best to whisper but almost yelled.
In the monk's wide eyed excitement, it took her a moment to take in the state of the room. "Wait, what happened to the room?"
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"I, am making a dress!" Selena says with an exaggerated snobbish pride as she gestures to the dress splayed out on Sakitu's bed.
”Wow. Good for you. That’s very thrifty.” says Quasit in her supportive voice. ”And you did all that just in the half hour we’ve been gone? You must have been working like a slave in here.”
”Do you mind if I try to nap while you work? Getting boiled has left me feeling kinda muzzy.”
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…and then Maka and Bulvi come into the room obviously up to no good.
Quasit sighs lightly, but can’t really object to the two wanting a little time alone after their days on the road.
”Selena’s making a dress. Isn’t that great?” she says, then gathers a big furry skin off her bed, wraps it around her shoulders and goes to head out of the room. ”I was just heading out anyway. Gonna make sure Cesseer and Viveka are settling in ok. Maybe we can finish the braiding when I get back. ‘Bout an hour maybe.”
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"Close the door. Then we can get ready."
Fin smiles warmly, murmuring, ”As you wish,” as he closes the door.
She giggles and then quickly covers her mouth. "I've never done anything like this before, you know. And," she stifles an even stronger giggle, "I left Selena and Quasit standing dumbstruck in our room. They probably have no idea what is happening." She tosses her new clothes on the bed on top of Fin's. "When is Bulvi coming back?"
”Not for a while, I think…he and Maka will probably linger in the baths, but,” Fin conjectures as he holds up a finger, ”I think I can ensure we have privacy for a little while…”
He moves to the door, opens it, saying, ”Izzy, guard!” The l’il white croc obediently shuffles forward and gets in lookout position just outside the door as Fin shuts it…
Clearly intrigued, Fin, returns to Sakitu’s side and gently rubs a hand across her cheek, smiling fondly. ”That should give us some time alone. So, Hlao-roo…what do you have in mind, m’Lady?” he says softly…
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Sakitu leans into Fin's touch. She turns her face to brush her lips against his fingers. "Well, " she says softly. "I was hoping you would show me." She reaches up to caress the back of his head, her fingers entwining his hair, and she guides face to kiss her.
After an eternity, she pulls back and catches her breath. Looking at the clothing covered bed she asks, "Shouldn't we clear that stuff off?"
goes to head out of the room. ”I was just heading out anyway. Gonna make sure Cesseer and Viveka are settling in ok. Maybe we can finish the braiding when I get back. ‘Bout an hour maybe.”
"Oh that's a good idea, you're so thouWAIT NO!" Maka stood in front of Quasit to block her way. "Saki just went into the boys' room with Fin. No one can do anything."
"Oh and you can open your eyes Bull, they both have clothes on."
"There is no both in it," Efrixes replies, curtly. "Not that it is a matter for you. How is it that we came to be talking of this now? Perhaps it is time for me to enquire as to your culture?"
"Oh uh, I'm sorry!" Maka put her hands up defensively. Stupid idiot. When will you learn? "I shouldn't have said anything. Uhm...do you want to know about my culture? I wouldn't mind talking but if you were just asking why I was being rude or something I could just...leave?" Maka felt like throwing herself off the fort again, but not in a flying sort of way.
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Sakitu leans into Fin's touch. She turns her face to brush her lips against his fingers. "Well, " she says softly. "I was hoping you would show me." She reaches up to caress the back of his head, her fingers entwining his hair, and she guides face to kiss her.
After an eternity, she pulls back and catches her breath. Looking at the clothing covered bed she asks, "Shouldn't we clear that stuff off?"
After the long, passionate kiss, when Sakitu pulls back for air, Fin whispers lightly, ”As you wish,” as he swiftly tosses the clothes on his bed over onto Bulvi’s, then drops his towel and playfully pulls her on top of him as he sinks down on to the bed. He then proceeds to gently ‘show’ her as deftly as he can…
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"Oh that's a good idea, you're so thouWAIT NO!" Maka stood in front of Quasit to block her way. "Saki just went into the boys' room with Fin. No one can do anything."
Quasit looks at Maka with her mouth gaping a little for about 3 seconds, then looks down and gives a rueful smirk.
"I wasn't going there anyway. Cesseer and Viveka, remember? Moatly just feel like going for a walk to clear my head, honestly." She gives Maka a couple friendly pats on the arm, then heads out the door after giving Bulvi a firm slap on the butt. "Give 'em hell, Tiger."
Once back in the hallway outside their room, Quasit looks right and left, wondering which way to go. The fortress was still largely a maze to her, aside from the few places she'd visited more than once, and about 80% of it was wholly unexplored -- and no doubt much of it would be off limits even to an alien hero. In the end she turns left, walking away from the direction of the baths.
After a few minutes she finds a stairway and heads upwards. She finds what looks like a storage area where gear and a few weapons are stored, with a couple narrow glass-paned windows letting in the dim sunlight. She climbs up onto a sort of barrel made of stone or bone and sits with her back to a wall, looking out one of the windows onto the courtyard below. Very little is going on. A few ryphorians are milling about and a single dragonkin is practicing flying about in wide circles, throwing a lance at a target on the ground.
She pulls the fur blanket tight about her torso, nestling her chin into it and watches in blank silence. Her head lolls to the side -- she felt like sleeping but her eyes wouldn't stay shut. And in spite of herself she thinks about Saki and Fin with their awkward adolescent romance, and Maka and Bulvi's brash calisthenic relationship. A shadow of annoyance flickers in her gut, an impulse she tries hard to quell immediately, but her heart wasn't having it. It didn't matter that it was perfectly natural, and that it hurt no one (except maybe Bulvi sometimes), and that Sakitu was blooming before her eyes. It was all just in the way... of everything... he was Saki's confidante now. And that was perfectly proper and natural -- and no doubt before too long they'd spat and Saki would come cry on her shoulder and the bond would be like before, but it would be living on borrowed time, and they'd both know it. And Maka? Maka still just didn't make any sense. How could anyone so passionate and emotional be so... detached about her physicality? For Saki, love had swept her off her feet and left her dazed and breathless and giddy, and for Maka it was a firm pleasant handshake.
And for Quasit... for Mina?
She watches the dragonkin toss his javelin again, missing his target by a good ten feet. Through the window, she hears it shout with frustration. Her expressionless face and bland stare took it in mechanically while her mind raced back across the stars to a garden in Absalom where she'd nestled under a long, protective arm and smelled a safe, thrilling man as they walked under a gibbous moon. And as they dropped their barriers and gave up their hesitations and just fell into love like they were jumping off a building knowing that it wouldn't hurt in the least to hit the ground as long as they landed cradling one another. She wished she could remember what they'd said to one another, but it wasn't really about that. It was about the honesty, and the trust. And the wish of each to exist at the core of the other and never ever part.
Her eyes close and she buries her face in the soft fur of she knew not what animal, alone on a foreign world, and she yearns for a cup of coffee and cherry popover and a long tender kiss in a dim tavern.
And she sorta wanted someone to screw her brains out.
She lifts her face again and watches the dragonkin strutting around the snow, kicking and shouting about something.
"Well... a lot of booze and food isn't so bad." she mutters in hopeful resignation. She looks toward the sky and briefly wonders where Golarian is as she scans her eyes across the canopy of the heavens. She sends a mental greeting to her father, kissing her fingers and pressing them to the glass, then rises and shuffles back out into the cold gloomy hall and lumbers along, a lonely little ghost.
"I wasn't going there anyway. Cesseer and Viveka, remember? Moatly just feel like going for a walk to clear my head, honestly." She gives Maka a couple friendly pats on the arm, then heads out the door after giving Bulvi a firm slap on the butt. "Give 'em hell, Tiger."
"Oh uh, okay yeah you know best. I'm staying here though, I'm not taking any chances on messing things up." Maka pulled Bulvi towards the bed and, after clearing space, sat down. "Tell Cesseer and Viveka I said hi."
Turning to Selena, Maka examined the witch's work. "Making a dress huh? It looks nice. Could...you help me with mine?" Maka did her best to be friendly, but her body language suggested she was worried the witch would hex her.
Selena seems unsure at first about the whirlwind of sudden activity. Sakitu came and left in a daze, and without dressing. And Maka shows up just as Selena started to clear Quasit's bed by shifting material to Maka's bed, only for Maka to start clearing her bed, and Selena frowns and puts the cloth back down on Quasit's bed as she decides to skip her nap.
Then Maka asks for help. Selena sighs, "I can help with your dress, but I'll be done with mine shortly, so you better take him to a closet somewhere to do whatever and be back here quickly or there won't be time."
"That's okay.” Maka looked at Bulvi with a shrug, the mood having well and truly killed. "Just let me know what I can do to help." The monk awkwardly figited as she waited.
Chest Thumper gets bored with getting groomed. Right in the middle, he gets up and lumbers out into the courtyard, following the sounds out there.
"Hey! Where are you going? I have to do the other side!" Kalchine says, having little choice but to follow with brush in hand.
The frost ape flops down to sit on the edge of the courtyard. After a few moments he begins to hoot with delight. After a few moments more, he begins to clap his hands together, apparently pleased by the angry antics of the dragonkin because he surely can't be sarcastically clapping over their bad aim, right?
"You think this is funny you big dumb monkey!?" the dragonkin, already in a bad mood snaps, stalking toward Chest Thumper.
"Wait, wait, he doesn't mean anything by it!" Kalchine says, walking toward the dragonkin with his hands out in front of him placatingly.
But it's too late and Chest Thumper gets up, lets out a roar and demonstrates how he got his name.
Kalchine curses and turns toward his brother. "Wait, wait! He didn't mean anything by it!"
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Lying on her side and with her eyes closed, Sakitu breathes deeply. She feels Fin's warm body wrapped around behind her. The gentle and regular cadence of his breath makes her think that he's asleep. But doesn't Fin always say that he doesn't need to sleep? Maybe this is different. It doesn't matter though. She doesn't want to disturb the absolutely overwhelming feeling of contentment and joy and happiness and even love that she feels. No wonder they call it love-making, she thinks to herself. It was wonderful. The whole experience. And Fin, he was gentle in ways that she didn't even know she needed him to be. It was amazing and unbelievable. A thrill shoots through her body. Chills run down her spine. She presses herself back into Fin a little more strongly and his arms that are wrapped around her instinctively pull her in tighter.
She allows herself to indulge in the comfort of his arms for a few more minutes and then she rotates onto her back and turns to look into his face. His eyes are closed but she still can't tell if he's asleep or not. Maybe he's just relaxing. She doesn't want to break the magic of the moment but she has to.
"Fin," she whispers. "We have to get ready for the feast."
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"Fin," she whispers. "We have to get ready for the feast."
Fin lets out a long relaxed, and perhaps exaggerated, yawn, breathing in Sakitu's scent, reveling in holding her, feeling her skin against his. The elf feels more content and relaxed than he has in quite some time; more than that, he is happy. Saki was so beautiful, both in body and spirit; what she saw in him, he had no clue, but he was thankful that she must see something...
"Aw, Hlao-roo, do we have to?" he responds in a mock-plaintive voice. "I suppose we must...but if you keep pressing back into me like that, you'll get me excited all over again and we'll surely be late..."
He gently turns her head to where he can lean down and brush his lips across hers once more, tugging lightly on her upper lip with his lips just before he murmurs, "Thank you for...sharing yourself...with me, Hlao-roo. You were amazing...and it meant so much to me..."
Very reluctantly, Fin releases his hold on her, rises, swinging his feet over to hit the floor just prior to standing up; he stretches and yawns again before walking over to Bulvi's bed to retrieve their clothes...
"Hmm...do you want me to run these clothes across the hall for Maka to apply some heat to or do you think they're good to go?
“I can't wait to dance with you tonight, Hlao-roo; now that you've seduced me though, will you still dance with me this evening?" Fin's eyes have a mischevious glow in 'em as he gives her a playful wink...
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As soon as Fin gets out of the bed, Sakitu rolls over to the warm spot where he was laying. "Oooh. I don't want to go either. I mean, like we have to but it would be so nice to stay here." She watches Fin walk across the room and start to organize the clothes.
"Hmm...do you want me to run these clothes across the hall for Maka to apply some heat to or do you think they're good to go?"
Sakitu's heart stops. "No! No, you can't do that. Then everyone would know that I was in here. I mean, with you, you know?" Sakitu sits up and pulls the thin blanket up to just below her eyes. "That would be mortifying."
"No one can know, especially not Maka. You have to promise me! I mean, Selena and Quasit saw me earlier when I went into my room but they didn't know where I was going. Promise me that you won't tell anyone. Please?"
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Fin’s face turns solemn as he tries to reassure Sakitu. ”Hlao-roo, I would never kiss and tell; you have my word that I will tell no one…and I mean no one. What went on between us was very special; and it will stay with us. But if you ever feel the need to share it with one of your confidantes, that is up to you; it will not upset me. And if someone happened to see you enter the room and asks me, I will honestly tell them that we were resting before getting ready for the celebration…and we did rest shortly…afterwards,” he says with a caring smile.
Looking back over to the clothes, Fin nods. ”Let’s get dressed, shall we? I might need some help…”
After he brushes his teeth and puts on clean undergarments, he breaks out a small vial of Elven-made scent, only used for special occasions, and dabs it on himself. He then goes thru the process of getting into his formal outfit; once he’s dressed, he spins around to see if he can still dance in it like he used to…
Turning to Sakitu he shrugs, asking in a doubtful voice, ”It’s been years since I wore this…how do I look?”
"That's okay.” Maka looked at Bulvi with a shrug, the mood having well and truly killed. "Just let me know what I can do to help." The monk awkwardly figited as she waited.
"Well, you can help by holding this and this. Hold it like this." Selena says as she hands Maka a bunch of cloth that might just be a dress all bundled up, and getting Maka's hands on the points and holding everything in place despite a bunch of the cloth making it hard for Maka to see what Selena is doing. Selena chastising any movement, such as from attempts to get a better view.
But within a few minutes Selena has the inside seem all set and sewn on her own dress.
Fluffing it out and laying it flat on Sakitu's bed, Selena gestures at the pile of clothes and things on her own bed, "Those are things we recovered. Pick one that you like and that is large enough or too big while I do the finishing touches on this one."
He swings his head away on his long neck. "What is summer like? You have it on Golarion, do you not? I hatched too late to experience it, though I may have a hope to live to see it."
"Well, you can help by holding this and this. Hold it like this." Selena says as she hands Maka a bunch of cloth that might just be a dress all bundled up, and getting Maka's hands on the points and holding everything in place despite a bunch of the cloth making it hard for Maka to see what Selena is doing. Selena chastising any movement, such as from attempts to get a better view.
"Yeah...okay...like this?....sorry!" Make jumped and flinched at every chastisement, but continued to do her best to be helpful. The monk's long hair was rolled up in numerous small, metal tubes.
Fluffing it out and laying it flat on Sakitu's bed, Selena gestures at the pile of clothes and things on her own bed, "Those are things we recovered. Pick one that you like and that is large enough or too big while I do the finishing touches on this one."
"See, if you attach those two scraps I can wear that around my chest, then we can layer those other ones as a skirt. And don't forget to raise the leg on Quasit's dress while you are working on it." As time passed, Maka scooted closer and closer until she was hovering in Selena's space.
"Hmmmm..." Efrixes rumbles, eying Maka for a while.
He swings his head away on his long neck. "What is summer like? You have it on Golarion, do you not? I hatched too late to experience it, though I may have a hope to live to see it."
Maka sighed in relief as Efrixes asked about the summer. "Well...summer is to winter like fire is to ice in a way. It's hot, the days are long and the nights are short, plants are done growing, life is just sort of everywhere. For some places it's dry, but for others it's really wet."
Maka released a small flare of fire and quickly breathed in the warm air, letting the sensation take her home. "It's the most comfortable season for me. The sun is close and big in the sky. Everything just...feels good?" Maka sighed as the cold closed back in. Though it did not harm her, it was a reminder that she was not home. A reminder of their enemy and the great work that still needed to be completed.
"But I'm terrible with words." Maka finally broke her silence with a laugh. "I can't really do summer justice."
After a moment's hesitation, Maka spoke up again. "Hey...I'm sorry about being rude. I know I'm not always the best of friends."
Between Selena's magic and Maka's heat, the pair were able to get an amazing amount of work done in a relatively short amount of time. Maka had managed to cobble together a fairly authentic Bedleh. Several scraps had been woven together to form a scarf bra top, leaving the majority of her torso exposed. A pair of her harem pants had been sacrificed and combined with a sarong to form a long, flowing skirt that hung low off Maka's hips. It had two cuts running almost to the top of the thigh, dividing the skirt into thirds. The long, flowing pieces accented even the slightest of Maka's movements. Billowing about and revealing her strong legs. Anklets, armbands, bracelets, and other pieces of jewelry glittered and clinked, accenting her movements even further.
With a small brush, Maka lined and shadowed her eyes with some makeup she had made with charcoal. Though it stung if it got in her eyes, the black void and reflected glow made her eyes seem like twin suns against a night sky. After pouring heat into the metal tubes, Maka pulled them loose from her hair, causing her normally straight hair to tumble down in a loose waterfall of wavy curls.
The effect complete, nearly every part of Maka bounced, flowed, or glittered. Turning to a mirror, Maka flexed and admired her own reflection. "Achchhee lag rahee!"
"Where is everyone? Okay, Bull go to the boys room finish getting ready. Just be thanda. I'll go check on Cesseer, Quasit, and Viveka."
"Hi!" Maka loudly entered the room with a wave. "Get settled okay? Excited for the feast tonight? Do you like my dress? Did Quasit leave already?" Maka unleashed a flurry of questions upon the pair.
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"Hi!...Did Quasit leave already?"
"Nope she didn't." answers a pile of furs off in a corner of the room. The pile moves a little and a face emerges with squinty, bleary eyes.
"Cesseer was nice enough to let me sack out on her..." Quasit stops and wipes her eyes then sits up. "Holy smokes, Maka! You look amazing! You look like a dancing girl or something! Are you really gonna wear that?"
He stands and spreads his wings. "I will see you again later. Fare well until then."
He leaps into the air with a snap of his wings and flies back towards the central keep.
"Holy smokes, Maka! You look amazing! You look like a dancing girl or something! Are you really gonna wear that?"
"Thanks! Maka spun around to show off her outfit, sending her hair and skirt fluttering about. "And of course I'm gonna wear it. I look too good not to wear it!" Maka said with utter confidence before striking a pose that fully showed off her figure. "It's a bedleh, a dancing dress, Selena helped put it together. She helped zhuzh up your dress too, I think you'll like it. Oh I'm so excited!"
Maka pirouetted several times across the room before extending her hand to Quasit. "Come on, I still need to do your hair. I can do your makeup for you too if you like." Maka signature toothy grin spread from ear to ear, the fire monk was clearly in a great mood.
Efrixes is quite a long moment. "Well I shall hope to see it for myself... though Beyscalie shall not live that long."
"...Oh..." was all Maka could say as Efrixes lifted off. The monk hadn't even considered that there could be a massive difference in life span between dragonkin and ryphorians. You big idiot! she scolded herself once more.
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"And of course I'm gonna wear it. I look too good not to wear it!"
Quasit blinks, then smiles, chuckle-snorts and shakes her head a little.
" She helped zhuzh up your dress too, I think you'll like it. Oh I'm so excited!"
"She musta zuzzed up someone else's dress 'cause this is my only one and I'm wearing it." says Quasit, picking at it a little. "But it's fine. I don't think it needs zuzzing."
"Come on, I still need to do your hair. I can do your makeup for you too if you like."
Quasit chuckles a bit. "Sure, thanks. Maka, you are way too excited about this dumb party." She settles herself back on Cesseer's bed, turning a little sideways so Maka will have a good angle to work on her hair.
"I got lost for about an hour before I found these guys. And for some reason I couldn't get to sleep, even though I'm kinda feeling exhausted. It's weird, I usually sleep like a stone."
"So... Saki and Fin finally did it, huh?"
"She musta zuzzed up someone else's dress 'cause this is my only one and I'm wearing it." says Quasit, picking at it a little. "But it's fine. I don't think it needs zuzzing."
"Then whose dress was that?" Maka said with a laugh.
Quasit chuckles a bit. "Sure, thanks. Maka, you are way too excited about this dumb party." She settles herself back on Cesseer's bed, turning a little sideways so Maka will have a good angle to work on her hair.
Maka sat down on the bed and began to happily work on braiding Quasit's hair. "Well of course! We never get a chance to dress up and party, and we probably won't get another chance for awhile. We should take the opportunity to cut loose and have fun while we can."
"I got lost for about an hour before I found these guys
"Ugh I know! This place is a maze, I keep getting lost too."
And for some reason I couldn't get to sleep, even though I'm kinda feeling exhausted. It's weird, I usually sleep like a stone."
"Well you owe me a dance, no excuses about being tired." Maka gave Quasit a playful nudge, but there was a look of concern on the monk's face. "Is there something on your mind? Anything I can do to help?"
"So... Saki and Fin finally did it, huh?"
"I know, I'm so happy! Our little Saki is really coming into her own. "
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"Is there something on your mind? Anything I can do to help?"
"No..." says Quasit, considering the question. "No. Probably just a quirk. I'm sure a good night of dancing and drinking will put me out like a light."
"I know, I'm so happy! Our little Saki is really coming into her own."
Quasit nods. "I'm glad too. They're both such nice people, they deserve to be happy." She thinks a bit, then gives a mirthful exhale through her nose. "Back when all this began, I never would have guessed they'd end up together. Fin's was such a loner, you could see it right away. And he's so much older than her. I mean, he's an elf, so he's gotta be well over 100 years old, right?" She pinches her face up a little. "I mean, he doesn't look old -- he's got that sorta ageless look elves have -- but... I don't know." She turns back and leans toward Maka and lowers her voice. "Like, I know you and he... you know... lannat hai'd. What was that like? Was it weird at all? I think it'd be like making out with your old uncle. You love him to death and he's sweet and kind and all but... it's just... you know, your uncle."
Quasit suddenly looks a little shocked that she's been saying this all out loud. She clamps her mouth shut and her eyes widen. And she stifles a laugh.
"No..." says Quasit, considering the question. "No. Probably just a quirk. I'm sure a good night of dancing and drinking will put me out like a light."
"Okay. Well if there is anything I can do you better let me know."
I mean, he's an elf, so he's gotta be well over 100 years old, right?" She pinches her face up a little. "I mean, he doesn't look old -- he's got that sorta ageless look elves have -- but... I don't know."
"Well there's older and there's older. At the monastery we had all manor of species so I guess I'm used to it. I was a late bloomer and Suji is a half-elf, so we were basically always at the same place. Which was nice." Maka smiled at the flash of childhood memories with Suji that ran through her mind.
"But Admani is a Duergar, which is a type of dwarf. So he started out 'older' than us, then kinda got 'younger', then caught back up again." Maka ran a colorful strip of cloth through a set of braids before tying them off. Grabbing two more handfuls of hair, she skillfully began working on another set.
"It's better to go by feel than years I guess. As for Fin, wells he's more our age." Maka motioned towards herself and Quasit as best as her hair filled hands could. "So I guess he is a bit old for her, but I think that's probably a good fit for Saki. "
She turns back and leans toward Maka and lowers her voice. "Like, I know you and he... you know... lannat hai'd. What was that like? Was it weird at all? I think it'd be like making out with your old uncle. You love him to death and he's sweet and kind and all but... it's just... you know, your uncle.
Maka also stifled a laugh before whispering her reply. Though neither of the other occupants of the room spoke the common tongue. "Well the lannat hai definitely didn't make me think of him like an uncle." Maka's mind drifted to the numerous after sparring sex sessions Fin and her had shared. "It was pretty great. Fin has nimble fingers and he knows how to use them. He's also very gentle. A bit too gentle for me honestly but that will be great for Saki."
Maka paused for a moment, "I was worried that that would end up being a problem, or that I'd someone mess things up another way. That I'd break up another group."
"There you are!" Selena exclaims marching towards Quasit, with a bundle in her arms.
"That dress of yours might be great for a small village somewhere, but this will be more fitting for a fancy dinner and we should make a respectable appearance." Selena says practically foisting the bundle of fabric onto Quasit.
Quasit is pretty sure it's the dress Selena had wrapped earwigs in when they were in Artrosa, but there's no sign of it now.
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Quasit is about to make a rejoinder in the sex talk with Maka when Selena bustles in and forces her to clam up. Her head lurches back involuntarily in surprise.
"You made that for me?" she asks, having a hard time hiding her incredulity. Quasit takes the dress gingerly, like one might pick up an angry possum, and waits for it to explode or turn into a swarm of mice. "Thanks. That's really nice of you." she says, now pressing it to herself to look it over. Then she smiles, shrugs off her modest blue dress and slips the new one on over her head in a quick motion. "How did you fit it for me? Did you measure me in my sleep?" she quips as she swirls back and forth, to check its flow.
"It's a little shorter than I'm used to. That's probably Maka's idea. You threw all these clothes together in just the last couple hours? It used to take me that long just to repair my dad's socks."
"Having the dresses from the dungeon helped. Much faster if I don't need to start from scratch. Are Sakitu and Fin done with their bedroom stuff? I need to find out what she is going as. We're almost out of time, but I've got no idea whether she's going furry or mot." Selena says rambling on a bit.
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"Are Sakitu and Fin done with their bedroom stuff? I need to find out what she is going as. We're almost out of time, but I've got no idea whether she's going furry or mot." Selena says rambling on a bit.
Quasit chuckles. "No secrets in this group. I haven't seen Saki or Fin since I left the bath, so I'm not sure."
She sits down again to let Maka continue her work. "I'd bet on furry. On this planet it actually seems more natural than her human form, and it seems to be what she prefers. Why does it matter?"
Maka shot up once Selena entered the room, doing her best to look busy with Quasit's hair so as not to get in trouble
"It's a little shorter than I'm used to. That's probably Maka's idea.
Maka nodded and gave Quasit a toothy grin.
You threw all these clothes together in just the last couple hours? It used to take me that long just to repair my dad's socks."
"I know isn't it great? We're gonna have amazing costumes for our shows!"
Are Sakitu and Fin done with their bedroom stuff? I need to find out what she is going as. We're almost out of time, but I've got no idea whether she's going furry or mot." Selena says rambling on a bit.
Quasit chuckles. "No secrets in this group. I haven't seen Saki or Fin since I left the bath, so I'm not sure."
She sits down again to let Maka continue her work. "I'd bet on furry. On this planet it actually seems more natural than her human form, and it seems to be what she prefers. Why does it matter?"
"I sent Bull over to check on them and finish getting ready himself, so hopefully they're actually ready and not still naked."
She sits down again to let Maka continue her work. "I'd bet on furry. On this planet it actually seems more natural than her human form, and it seems to be what she prefers. Why does it matter?"
"Color of course. She's a different color when furry. And additional lacing will be easier to get it on with fur but unnecessary with skin. So which dress and what I need to do to it depends on which form she is in. Fur also makes the clothing tighter so I'll need to make it looser if she goes furry. And fur catches on clothes in odd ways. So, it matters a lot."
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”Oh. Okay, yeah, I guess that makes sense.” says Quasit. She picks some more at her dress. ”I haven’t had a new dress in years. As you’ve probably noticed I don’t usually wear them. But then I don’t usually attend feasts in my honor either, and it’s probably better if I don’t dress like a stable boy. This is shaping up to be an unusual night all around.”.
She looks back over her shoulder at Maka. ”I hardly ever wear makeup either. My girl friends back home would try and get me to do it, but it made me feel self-conscious. I guess I’ve never been super girly.”
"I never knew you knew so much about fashion and junk Selena. I like this side of you." Maka gave Selena a toothy grin.
She looks back over her shoulder at Maka. ”I hardly ever wear makeup either. My girl friends back home would try and get me to do it, but it made me feel self-conscious. I guess I’ve never been super girly.”
"Yeah being girly is a lot of work, but it can be a bunch of fun. Don't worry, I'll keep it simple. You've got good bone structure and pretty eyes and honestly that's mostly what makeup is for unless you want to get a little wild. But if you do feel self-conscious just remember that dragon tooth of yours. And if that doesn't do it just find me and I'll figure something out to make you feel better."
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Already dressed, Fin sits back as he scratches Izzy between the eyes, watching Sakitu get dressed with a slightly lecherous grin…or perhaps no so slightly…unlike his usual demeanor, he jumps at the light knock on the door, his pleasant distraction interrupted…
”I’ll see who it is,” he says as he rises and cracks open the door. ”Oh, whassup, Bull? Yes…Saki’s almost ready…give us a second…she has one already but, yes, I’ll tell her…”
He shuts the door. ”Hey, Hlao-roo, Bulvi’s outside and he needs to get dressed for the feast, when you’re thru. He said no rush…he also mentioned, Selena is making you a dress? Looks like she made dresses for all the girls and she wants to know what shape you plan on going as so she can adapt the dress’s colors?”
That evening, a pair of the fortress non-combatants come and inform you that the feast is ready. Coming into the mess hall you find it somewhat more decorated than usual, with banners on the walls and the sheen of recently-washed stone on the floors and walls. The banners might be a bit old and tattered, but they add some color to the usually fairly bare space.
The assembled company is similarly a bit worn but still as dressed as they can be. The rhyphorians seem to have a sort of dress uniform, though a few of them are wearing other forms of finery. The dragonkin, for the most part, wear as little as ever, though more of them have some jewelry on than usual.
As the party enters the mess hall, Commander Pharamol calls the soldiers to attention. Everyone stands and salutes you.
Without missing a beat Selena returns the salute as she strides forward into the room, almost like she's done this before. Her noble bearing on full display, making her seem a lot bigger than she looks.
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”Hey, Hlao-roo, Bulvi’s outside and he needs to get dressed for the feast, when you’re thru. He said no rush…he also mentioned, Selena is making you a dress? Looks like she made dresses for all the girls and she wants to know what shape you plan on going as so she can adapt the dress’s colors?”
"What? Bulvi's outside? Uh. He knows I'm in here? Uh. Ok. One sec."
Sakitu quickly throws on her dress and gathers up her belongings. On her way to the door she pauses at Fin. "Thank you." She speaks softly and tenderly. "I hope we can get more time together soon." After just a moment longer she rushes to the door and opens it.
"Oh. Hi Bulvi. I just left some stuff in here. But I've got it now. I guess Selena has a new dress for me. I guess I should find her and try it on."
She steps past Bulvi and goes to her room. Selena is waiting inside with the new dress. It doesn't take long for Sakitu to try it on and get it fit correctly.
"Oh. This is perfect. And it's amazing that you got it to fit right when I'm in my fox form." Sakitu twirls a couple times and watches the fabric move and swirl in the air. "So, I guess I'm ready for the feast now."