A quick patdown and change of clothes later, you are cleaner than you have been in weeks, dry, and most importantly, appropriately covered. The pants you found are a little more tighter than to your liking, but you can’t help but be pleased at how the shirt fits snugly over your torso, and the small window near the collar gives off a very masculine vibe as it shows off just a tasteful amount of your chest. Finally, with your sword and spell book fastened to a belt you found, you are feeling comfortable and confident. You can’t wait to see Watame’s, Polka’s and especially Flare’s reactions.

“Lookin’ good, Cabin Boy.” Marine who was now fully dressed in her normal attire, compliments your choice of outerwear. “How does it feel? Does wearing those make you yearn for a life at sea? Finding everything your heart ever desired?”

“Not any more than usual.” You give her a goofy smile.

“Well I sure feel I got more Yo in my Ho!” Pomu cheers from behind the divider of the wash stall she used to change. She steps in the open to show off the striped shirt tucked into her black britches. She turns and shows off how her wings peek out of little openings from the back. “Check it out, Anon! Marine said I can keep these, so she helped cut holes in the back for my wings. I think I’m ready to show Shallah how the Houshou Pirates like to party.”

“I’m ready to taste a once in a lifetime meal from Anon. If he’s as good at dinner as he is at breakfast, he might just get a promotion to Cook.” Marine tips her hat up and gives you a wink with her uncovered eye, leaving you to roll your eyes as she saunters off to head back above deck.

“Better get your game face on, Anon.” Pomu jabs your ribs with her elbow, almost knocking you off balance. “By the way, how do you plan to cook that big fish?”

“Not sure.” You send Pomu away a few feet with a light shove against her shoulder. “I’ll have a better idea once I see what I’m working with. I have to admit, I’m pretty excited.”

“Hey.” Her tone takes a sudden turn; missing its normal mischief and actually serious for once. She places a hand on your shoulder and looks straight into your soul. “If when we get there and you ‘see what you’re working with’, if you need a minute, just let me know. I don’t really get a lot of what Lady Sylph told me about your fight, but I know you kinda attach to things and people fast and hard. So…if you need to escape the crowds for a sec, I’ll fly you wherever you need to go.”

“Thanks, Pomu.” You say, your mouth quivers to a somber smile. “Hopefully you won’t have to worry about me. I’ve made my peace with it, and this is the best way I can honor Chacu’s life, and his sacrifice. Besides, if I lose my nerve, I won’t be able to put Roxy in her place. I WILL get her to respect me by the time we leave Shallah.”

“You really have it out for her, don’t cha?”

“I could let bygones be bygones for how things went down, but it’s the fact she doesn’t show a hint of remorse about me almost being raped and sold. She hasn’t even said she was sorry for that.” Your pulse quickens at the mere recollection. “If you hadn’t shown up, who knows what would have happened to me. I doubt she was coming up with a plan to take out the harpies, and she probably was going to forget about me the second she could get to Marine.”

“She does come across as an every gal for herself kinda girl.” Pomu sways her head back and forth in thought, and after a few seconds the motion passes, and her cheery enthusiasm takes the forefront. “Well, if you think beating her in a cook off will make ya happy, then I wish you the best of luck.”

“Oh? You’re not jumping at the chance to help me for once? What’s wrong, Pomu? Not feeling confident in the kitchen?”

“Psssh nah.” Pomu blows your teasing right off her lips. “I’m on Kiara’s team for this one. When she heard what I was going back to get ingredients for, she actually got pretty pumped. She says and I quote ‘I can’t wait to put that little shit summoner in his place and show him what a real chef is made of.’, unquote.”

“Talk about having it out for someone.” You let out a small goran and put a hand to your face. “Can’t you talk to her for me or something, Pomu? I thought me and her were finally getting on good terms, but the insults seem more than just competitive spirit.”

“Ehhh, I wouldn’t worry too much.” The fae shrugs. “I asked her if she was still mad at you, and she told me you could get on neutral terms with her after you paid her back. Which you’re still gonna do, right?”

“I promised, so I will…somehow….or someday.”

“Hey if Kiara wants to follow us around until you scrounge up the gold she wants, I’m all for it, but I wouldn’t test her. She might try to kick your ass if she thinks you’re stalling, and no offense, I think she could.”

“None taken. The woman is a pro at swordplay.” You chuckle, weighing the pros and cons over inciting another sparring match with Kiara. “Don’t worry, I promised her I would pay her, and if I want to have any hope of learning the secrets of sun magic from her, I owe it to Undine and Sylph to see this promise though. I don’t think we even accounted for ALL the loot the Blackfin fleet has yet. There’s still plenty of time.”

“If you say so, and speaking of time, I bet we’re almost back at the port. Let’s get back on deck!”

When you reach where the never ending blue stretches above your head and behind the vessel you stand on, you turn your eyes to the bow, where a small collection of figures look toward the upcoming port. Pomu is eager to join Marine at the helm, where she supervises Bree’s steering, but you join your spirits, Frala, Korla, and Riki, as you all watch the water wade under the Crimson Quarter’s frame as your destination becomes ever nearer. No one says anything, allowing the rush of the waves and the chorus of the gulls that fly high in the sky fill the soundwaves with the serenity of the open seas. When the ship comes to a slow down to rest at the port, you are pulled out of your almost meditative state, and your viewing party disperses to make the preparations for docking.

At the pier, a few dozen men and women await Captain Marine to disembark and give them instructions on where everything to unload is aboard the ship, and soon enough all of the supplies and loot you’ve retrieved from the island is brought to where it belongs. While you had been helping with the manual labor, you couldn’t help but overhear a rather heated debate between Marine and a few people who were helping oversee the operation. While they weren’t opposed to receiving some financial aid, they didn’t feel comfortable taking ALL of it once they saw just how much there was. They implored, no, demanded that Marine take a cut for herself, since she also suffered at the hands of Blackfin, but she would not budge. Call it stubbornness, or an unwavering adherence to one’s principles, she used the stature of someone who deserves to be called Senchou to emerge the victor in that debate. Even so, while Marine practically thrusted a sizable fortune onto a country that desperately needs it, you were not about to let them walk away without being able to show their appreciation to the crimson pirate crew in some way.

After enlisting some subtle help from Frala, you bring Marine’s old jail chest off the ship and wave down one of the Pillars of Shallah; Clara. The taller woman who is said to be Shallah’s premiere shipwright, was looking considerably brighter since you last remember seeing her during the jailbreak you helped orchestrate. You give Frala the okay to get back to the rest of the pack, and clear your throat to begin your proposal to have Marine’s ship get a major overhaul.

As you hoped, Clara was more than willing to corroborate with you to make sure Marine gets something out of this whole ordeal, and you give her a minute to look over some of the designs the pirate captain herself had made.

“So what do you think?” You break the brief silence. “Can you do it?”

“Some of this stuff would be a cinch for me.” Clara answers, the confidence in her voice raises your hopes to the sky. “I bet we can even manage some of the more creative choices the new Senchou has in mind. Hell, it might just be the challenge I need to get the rust off my fingers. There’s just one problem.”

There it was. Just like that your smile drops like a rock.

“If you need more money, I can get you more. However much it’ll cost, I’ll-”

“It’s not a matter of cost.” Clara shakes her head. “You know if I had it my way, I would repair that piece of history for free, but that’s the thing; it IS a relic at this point.”

“I know she’s seen better days, but the Crimson Quarter can’t be that old can it? She sails like it was built to last.” You argue, finding it hard to believe that the foundation of the ship you’ve walked on was that far gone.

“The Crimson Quarter has sailed for three generations. Stormy weather, cannon shots, killer whales. It’s seen it all. The ship itself is a work of art, but I’m just not sure if I’ll have the right parts and skills to get her back to one-hundred percent. I can easily patch it up, but that wouldn’t be fair to you or Marine. She deserves the best ship in the world after what she went through for us, but I don’t know if I’m the shipwright who can give her that, no matter how much I want to be.”

“Maybe you’re not giving yourself credit. If that ship was built generations ago, you probably know tricks of the trade that didn’t even exist back then. My dad always says that anyone can copy an old smithing technique, but only someone great can take those methods and make them something all their own.”

“Your dad sounds like a smart guy, but I could never have built a ship that could last this long. I can’t copy what makes the Crimson Quarter a marvel of a vessel and just add on to it. I could end up making it worse, or it wouldn’t even be the same ship anymore.” Clara sighs, but you aren’t about to let this effort go on with downcast hearts.

“Well of course it wouldn’t be the exact same ship anymore.” You smirk, garnering the woman’s prompt confusion. “This will be Marine’s ship, not her grandmother's, not the Houshous that came before her, hers. I’m not really a pirate or anything, but I can tell how much Marine cares about that galleon of hers. When you care about something like that, it’s not about what color it used to be, or where cabins were originally built, it’s about how it helps you, and in Marine’s case, it helps her sail across the waters. Does that make more sense?”

Clara takes in your words and starts to reflect on their meaning. A flash of optimism streaks across her sweat stained face. She gives you a fierce nod, and you can see the fires of determination burn within her eyes.

“Do your best and let me know if there’s anything else you need. Remember, money is no object.” You offer your hand that Clara firmly shakes.

“Count on it, Anon. No matter what, I’ll make sure the soul of the Crimson Quarter stays with Marine for as long as she sails. I’ll come back and take a look at the gal from mast to bow tomorrow after all the festivities.”

“No rush. I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon, and Marine is kinda stuck here until the ship is fixed.” You chuckle. “I’m sure everyone else needs some time to rest after all they went through.”

“For me and some of the other shipwrights, this will be the perfect way for us to kick off our lives as free people again. We got a lot of work to do, not just for Marine, but for our future. We need the port to be able to accept trade again as soon as possible, and that’s where I come in.” Clara gives a hard flex of her right bicep, where you can see that a period of enslavement did not do much to reduce her physical strength.

“I’ll be counting on you then, Clara. It would be great if people from Shallah could trade with other countries again. Things just weren’t the same when your traders stopped coming. I always liked hearing their stories about your shores. There’s a few I might need to confirm myself actually.”

“Any in particular you’re itching to know about? I’ve lived here all my life, so I may be able to tell you if what you heard was real, or just some jetty swash to impress the locals.”

“Well this one guy talked to my dad about a secret spot along the coast where the moon sparkles all across the sea and sand like diamonds. He also said that the sea is always calm there, no matter what the tide is like, it’s just perfectly still and serene. He also tried to whisper to my dad something about a bungalow where…” You stop yourself short, the excitement over why you need to find such a place almost leading you to say something a little uncouth to someone who is doing you a whole string of favors. You pretend something got caught in your throat before continuing. “I have to know if that place is real, and if it’s alright for me to go there.”

“That’s quite the description, but if you don’t mind me asking, who will you be sharing the view with?” Clara asks with a devilish grin.

“I want to take my friend Flare there.” You blurt out, and immediately curse your own honesty, which makes the woman chuckle.

“She’s the half-elf of your group, right?” Clara asks, to which you nod while trying to hide what is definitely a smile that shows how just the thought of that dirty-blond woman strikes you with thoughts of love and lust. “She’s a lucky gal, and you’re in luck too, since that spot you heard about is very real, and a very popular place for young couples who are in the know.”

Clara then takes a quick look around for any prying eyes or eavesdroppers before leaning in closer. “Normally it’s not a place I wouldn’t point out to visitors, but for you, I’ll make an exception.” She gives you a quick wink. “All you gotta do is go a few miles south of Kukai’s place, you’ve been staying there, right? Where the beach ends, you follow the path leading back inland, and when you see a pair of palms crossing over, kinda like they’re holding hands, take that path.”

You take in each specific instruction, reciting them back in your memory. When the directions are finished, you repeat everything back to Clara who gives you an affirmative thumbs up. The butterflies in your stomach rage with anticipation for seeing this well-kept secret with your own eyes, and their flight is brought to an even greater frenzy when thoughts of who you will share it with come to mind. You’ve got an ending location, now you just need to sort out everything else for your date…but first; figuring out how to cook a now extinct sea beast.

You thank Clara for the tip and part ways, joining up with your respective groups to attend to your next obligations. With the spoils of war fully unloaded, it was time to make your way back to the southern shoreline where Chacu’s body, or what’s left of it lays. You have had no shortage of distractions over the past few hours, which was more than welcome, but the time was upon you to finally face the full consequences of your actions.

You thought you would feel more nervous, but in the pleasant company of Pomu, Marine, and your pack, you feel ready to face whatever sight awaits you. Most of your walk is spent listening in on the talks between the lionesses on how they will go about preparing their meal for the festival. It is almost a little disappointing that they are opting to create their own dishes, you have had a lot of fun cooking alongside them so far, but they all spoke with such passion that you couldn’t bring yourself to voice feeling a little left out. Oh well, you can always ask Watame and Sylph to be an extra pair of hands for you. There is a bit more than a good meal riding on this, and you’ll want your best team at your back.

When your party reaches the end of the path that leads to the shoreline, you tread along the sand only a few steps before the sight of the great sea leviathan lays motionless down the coast. You thought he was big before, but without the covering of the ocean waters to mask his underbelly, he was simply mammoth. You begin to mutter a silent prayer for his late spirit as you walk, feeling a slight twinge in your heart when your eyes bring the skinned remains into focus.

You are at a loss for words, the motions of the scores of people who work to move scale and meat from place to place might as well be dust floating along the wind to you, all you can see is the proud skeleton of the great beast you fought to the death. Chacu’s skull sits propped up by several iron rods and facing the endless horizon, as if ready to continue his perpetual journey. Behind him trails his spine and each of his ribs are staked into sand, and a few more steps further brings your eyes to one that bears the mark of your final attack; its point completely broken and gone, with a few noticeable cracks along its length and immediate neighbors. The scars of Chacu’s most perilous battles can be found along his spine as well, each bone that supported his imposing fins showed some sign of age or breakage. It was…humbling, to see how our bodies endure under the trials and tribulations we put them through. Will your bones show similar scars when your time on this earth is over? A part of you hopes so.

The only thing that reaches your ears is the gentle roll of a single wave that somehow escaped the schedule of the tide. Upon its crash you feel a gentle brush against your ear, and you could swear someone was speaking to you. What they said, you can’t discern, but after their message had been delivered, the voices of the joyful populace against the song of the ocean winds gradually became vocal to you once more.

“Anon! It’s good to see you are alive and well.” Mako greets you with an unprecedented enthusiasm that jolts you to full awareness again. You turn and see the young fisherman beaming from ear to ear with a radiance to match the afternoon sun.

“Likewise.” You manage to say as you regain your social bearings.

“He is quite the beast, isn’t he?” Mako then notices where your glance goes to, and turns his eyes back to Chacu.

“The stuff legends are made of.” Your heart, heavy but healing, can’t find anything else to say at this moment.

“And he shall make for a legendary feast fit for a legendary festival.” Mako adds, crossing his arms in pride. “I hope you’re ready. I made sure to save some of the best cuts for you. You did most of the work, after all. It’s only fair.”

“True, I did work my ass off ten times over the past few days, but I hope you didn’t save them all for me.” You snicker, finding Mako easier to talk to by the second. “I wouldn’t want to win this contest just because I had an automatic advantage. That’s not how I want to win against Roxy.”

“You two really have it out for each other.” Mako bellows. “She said something similar about you too. I don’t really know what your side of the story is, but I’ve known Roxy long enough to know that she tends to have a harder time paying attention to the feelings of other people that aren’t her captain. She really is a great girl, I’m not sure I would still be here without her.”

“Well as much as I hate to admit it, and I sure as hell won’t admit it to her face, I probably wouldn’t be standing here right now without her help either.” You try to keep your face from going sour. “I just need to get one tiny apology from her. That’s it. I can leave Shallah perfectly satisfied if I can get that stubborn pirate to admit that she almost fucked things up royally for me.”

“Now I’ve got to know your side of the story.” Mako grins. “As far as I know, Roxy wouldn’t stop ranting about how you were being too sensitive when what she says everything worked out perfectly.”

“Perfect for her maybe…” You scoff, but you suppose you can entertain an explanation to a hopefully unbiased third party. “Most you need to know is, she came up with a plan, changed it on the fly, and landed me in an almost permanent cage with a chain of harpy visitors. I’m still pissed off about that.”

“She does have a bit of a turbulent spirit, but that’s one of her good points.” Mako smiles, and you realize that this is far from an unbiased party.

“I’ll just take your word for it.” You decide to leave the matter at that and begin forming a plan for your culinary victory. Mako points you to where a simple white tarp holds all the meat you could ever hope to cook in one night. You approach the slices of what could end up being the most ferocious fish you’ll ever face, and squat down to further inspect them.

“What do you think, summoner?” Undine asks, having joined you again after the rest of your group has dispersed.  

That is a good question. On the outside, it looks just like you would expect it to; raw fish meat, although it has a distinct shine and thickness to it that represents its higher calibur. One feature that catches your eye when you really hone your focus are the faintest of blue streaks under the skin, and your senses tickle with the recognition of mana. That makes things a lot more interesting. What would something infused with mana taste like? Would it cook differently? You suppose since all living things have some trace of mana within them, people consume it on a very small level every day. With this much on the surface, there might be something very interesting for you to try.

“Something crazy, but it might be worth trying.” You answer, eager to share your theory. “You can see the mana under the skin, right?”

“Indeed. I must say that Chacu continues to amaze. For so much residual mana to exist in his body after his death, he was truly remarkable.” Undine says somberly, and after her own brief moment passes, she looks at you curiously. “Do you plan to use this mana in some way in your cooking?”

“Yup, but I’m not certain it’ll work. I just got a feeling that I need to try it though. It could be really cool. First things first, I need a way to cook this all evenly.” You say as you take a quick look around, groups of people are setting up their own battle stations using scraps of wood for campfires, furniture salvaged from the port and what you brought back, and whatever else they can find. A fire will be needed, but that is only part of the equation.

You bring yourself to the large pile of wood and kindling, exchanging light pleasantries with the people around you, thankful that they are keen to keep the conversations short as they have the flames of competition burning like the fire they wish to start. After sifting through a few planks you come across a stick, not just any stick, what just might be the perfect stick; tall, thick, and has the ideal split at its head for holding something between the stubs. When you take that simple piece of wood in your hands, inspiration strikes. A spit roast! That will be perfect cooking the meat and give you free hands to try your extra ingredient. All you need to do is find another, even if it’s not exactly the same, any stick that would be capable of supporting a fair amount of weight will do.

After sifting through lumber for the next ten minutes, you finally find the perfect partner stick, and with a third long enough to sharpen into a skewer, you are almost ready to create your workstation. Over your shoulder you look up and Undine, mouth half open to ask her to help you collect firewood, but then her incorporeal visage invalidates asking the question.

“Where’s Sylph?” You shift your focus on trying to find the wind spirit who should be here helping you.

“She flew off with Pomu when they saw Kiara a bit down the shoreline. I believe they pulled your captain along with them.” Undine answers.

“That little traitor.” You roll your eyes. “Well if that’s how she wants it, she can be on the losing team. It still sucks that I don’t think I’m up to summon you both at the same time though. Maybe I should just summon you instead, that’ll teach her.”

“Please don’t be too hard on her.” Undine lets out a soft giggle. “She is on what she calls a ‘good will mission’. She wants to help improve Summoner-Spirit relations, as she puts it.”

“Uh huh, and the chaos she and Pomu can get up without me watching over them will just be an unexpected bonus.” You shrug, but you know at least some of Sylph’s heart is in the right place. “That still leaves me in the need of some hands capable of touching things.”

“Perhaps you can enlist the help of some other hands.” Undine nudges her head toward her one side, bringing your gaze to where a very welcome group approaches.

Flare, notably without her spacious sleeves and form fitting stockings, walks beside Polka who gets your attention with a high wave overhead. From behind them Watame hustles through, also sporting a lighter look without her cape and arm warmers, and she takes a running start before leaping the rest of the distance between you, landing with a hard stomp that craters the sand under her boots.

“Hi Anon!” She bleats, wasting no time hooking her arms around your neck and pulling you into a fluffy hug. After a tender squeeze she lets you go and looks at you with those beautiful purple eyes, and you feel weak at the knees. “You changed your clothes. Those look really nice on you.”

“T-Thanks.” You stammer, almost kicking yourself for wanting to melt at such a simple compliment. “It’s not obvious I got these off Marine’s ship, is it?”

“Nah.” Flare chimes in, eyeing you up and down in approval. “You just look like a guy who doesn’t know when to slow down.”

“Flare’s right, you’ve been so busy today! But we’ve been doing our best too!” Watame adds.

“She’s right, you know.” Polka joins in. “Sheesh, Anon. Not even a day after a battle like that and you’re putting together meals, repairs, and parties. Are you trying to replace me as the high energy member of our troupe?”

“No one could ever replace you, Polka.” Flare scoffs, giving the fennec a light pat on the shoulder. “Who else would hold all our stuff and give us a tent to camp in wherever and whenever we need it?”

“True.” Polka holds a finger to her chin. “My life might almost start to feel empty if I didn’t have to lug around all your baggage. Especially all you haven’t unpacked about a certain someone~”

Flare’s face goes pink with shock, she looks ready to fire back, but you cut in between them while wearing the most satisfied smile.

“I think you’re all irreplaceable.” You say from the bottom of your heart, and the subtle flirtation makes both girls’ lips curve upward. “Now I could really use help with what will be my latest masterpiece. Are you all going to help me make history?”

“Sorry, Anon.” Polka waves you off. “Afraid we can’t help you lose.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“It means we’re going to take part in this little festival you cooked up.” Flare says with a smug air as she and Polka become comrades in arms once more. “Do you really think I’d pass up the chance to show you up?”

“I’d be at least a little intimidated if you didn’t leave the cooking to me every chance you got.” You scoff.

“That’s just because I like seeing how well you’d keep a household.” Flare scoffs back, satisfied with how her remark made your breath stop for a split second. She struts past you with a confident smirk. “Come on, Polka, we’ll need some firewood.”

“See ya in a bit, Anon.” Polka toodles her fingers as she brushes past you, making sure to let her tail tickle the tip of your nose. “Don’t even think of sending Undine to spy on us. We want it to be a surprise when what we’ll make knocks your socks off.”

“I’ll believe it when I taste it.” You remark, turning your attention, to Watame, Botan and Nene. “Alright, since those two would rather lose to us, I got this crazy idea that-”

“Sorry, Anon.” Botan interrupts you. “I can’t help you either. The others already got a head start on me. Let’s cook together next time though.”

“I’m sorry too, Anon, but Botan says as the packleader’s prime, I need to help oversee what the pride cooks for our victory celebration! Don’t worry, I’ll stop by and check on how you’re doing too when I get a chance.” Watame chirps, giving you a quick peck on the cheek before skipping off to follow Botan, leaving you both flustered and a little dejected at the same time. Next to you Undine watches the sheep with a hint of longing. With being stuck to you all day, the water spirit has barely had any time with her favorite sheep, a problem you can relate to.

“Would you go keep an eye on Watame, Undine.” You sigh. “I’m not exactly comfortable with the idea of her around a cooking fire when each of those lions is running on an empty stomach.”

“As you wish, summoner.” Undine nods and floats on after the demi-human pair, leaving you to consider your very limited options. You look at Nene who just smiles at you; one pronounced fang poking out from her upper lip.

“Are you going to go make your own dish too, Nene? You might as well. Man…I didn’t think all of them would want to cook. I just wanted to put Roxy in her place, but now this might not even be fun.” Your shoulders slump, most of the wind taken out of your sails.

“Ne-...I want to help A…you. We work best toget…I like doing things with you. Can we cook together?” Nene says as you watch her face scrunch to catch her own words. After her delivery, she looks at you, bright-eyed and sparkling for your approval, which after how heart-stoppingly cute it was to see her consciously craft her words, your answer is an resounding,

“Of course we can, Nene. You won’t mind if I make up the recipe as we go along, do you?”  

“Nope!” Nene tries to contain her excitement. “Papa sometimes cooks for Mama too, they take turns. Nene will cook for-” The words start to rush out of her, but she slaps her palm over her mouth to stop them. She looks at you, her emerald eyes show a nervousness that is unusual for the simple girl. After returning her gaze with patience and acceptance, Nene takes a quiet breath and releases her hold on herself. Filled with confidence again, she takes another deep breath. “I will cook for you, next time, okay?”

“I’d really like that, but don’t forget, you also won the swimming contest, so I’ll get to cook something just for you soon.” You give Nene a bright smile. It is a little strange to hear her change her speech from her natural pattern, but anyone with eyes can see that she is doing this because she wants to, and you respect whatever this awesome girl’s wishes to be. “But first, just like how we worked together to save Shallah and your people, we have a dish to prepare that will have them feeling better than ever.”

“Yes! We will make the best tasting fish!! What we do first?!”

“First we need to set up a fire big enough for a spit roast. We’ll want some stones to line the pit with too.”

“Ohhh, like change of season feast back home.” Nene nods. “Every season, we throw big feast to celebrate new season, and prepare for the weather like Ursoc and Ursol taught us. No problem! I make perfect fire. I get help too.”

While you entertain thoughts of what a change of seasons would look like in Bjornholm, you bring the forked sticks you carry to your cooking spot and begin work on sharpening the third stick you got into a sharpened skewer using your sword. When you bring each end to a sharp enough point, Nene returns to you bearing firewood, kindling, and a small group of three Shallahan people behind her. A woman slightly shorter than Nene with long and fine jet black hair looks at you with eyes that shine with a familiar hazel hue. Beside the woman are two younger people, one boy, one girl, likely in their mid teens, but they both bear the same dark features along with a strange sense of similarity with Nene.

“Shale’shalo. My name is Oliva. It is an honor to meet you in person, Anon. Not only did you help free us from that pirate’s tyranny, but you also brought me news of someone I accepted to be long gone.” The woman greets you, then it hits you. The demeanor, the hair, the cheekbones, they all remind you of-

“Oliva is Nene’s aunt!” Nene stays silent no longer, giving her kin a fierce hug around her shoulder. “And these are Nene’s cousins; Ray, and Aldreha.”

“Shale’shalo.” You greet all three with unbridled enthusiasm. “I’m really glad Nene was able to find some of her relatives. We had been hoping for that since we set out for here.”

“When Nene and your friends were helping all of us in the north who had avoided the fighting, I couldn’t believe my ears when she began to ask if anyone knew an Aldreha.” Oliva starts to retell, giving the cue for her daughter to step out from her mother’s shadow.

“I never got to meet Aunt Aldreha, so when one of the girls who helped free us was asking for one, I kinda just stepped forward.” The girl speaks with a dash of timidness. “But she was talking about her mom, and Nene looks like us a little bit, right?”

“You all share your grandmother’s cheekbones.” Oliva says with fond pride. “To think, after all these years believing my sister was dead, she’s actually alive! And she has been blessed with a beautiful daughter that found her way to her second home.”

“It’s like dad always used to say.” Ray chimes in, and right away you can tell he is much more boisterous and carries a flair of optimism much like Nene’s own. “The sands of the beach must change with each new wind, but the seagull always finds the food under the grains.”

Well that certainly is…a phrase? An ancient Shallahan saying you suppose, and although your head gives up on deciphering its meaning, Nene seems to have all the answers in that adorable head of hers.

“I see!” Nene exclaims. “Nene is like new sand, and wind carry her to Shallah, back to part of home.”

“I’m not really sure that’s what” you start to try and let her down gently, but the matching nod from her cousin stops you short.

“Exactly! You were meant to come back here, Cuz. You’ll always have a home here with your family. And Anon” Ray points his eager gaze to you next, making you feel a splash of discomfort with how familiar he finds himself with you already. “As long as you and Nene are together, you got us as your family too. This is so cool. The hero of Shallah is one of my cousins! And I’m gonna help him cook the beast he brought down to save us. C’mon Aldreha, we gotta build the fire.”

Left standing with your mouth agape, the three cousins all scurry to begin work on your fire pit, leaving you with a potentially grave misunderstanding to deal with. You can only guess that amidst her excitement Nene had used what has become a pet name for you in front of them, which to any average person, would mean the obvious. Well, you suppose there are worse misunderstandings to have. When you look at Nene happily setting down stones, engrossed in familial bliss, your heart does feel a similar pull like it does with a certain trio.

“Nene’s father is blond, isn’t he?” Olivia asks.

“And a mountain of a man to boot.” You answer. “Him and your sister also go very well together. She’s very happy in Bjornholm.”

“That means the world to me to hear. Thank you, Anon.”

“I could tell you more about it if you’d like. I was only in Bjornholm for a few days, but it’s easily like another home to me, and not just because of Nene.”

“I’d like to take you up on that, but let’s save it for another time. The fire looks ready for you. Is there anything I can do to help?”

It may not have you first pictured this to go, but Nene and her discovered family were extremely helpful. Ray and Aldreha made sure the fire stayed evenly stoked, Oliva retrieved requested herbs and spices, and Nene helped you secure all the meat you had onto the natural spear you made. After placing the wooden rod onto the holds you set up, the legendary meat was ready to season and begin heating to perfection.

The first steps of your recipe are simple; shower the meat in seasoning as it turns, getting the first layer evenly cooked. After that, you simply had to wait for the right timing. As you give the spit slow turn, your relaxed focus is interrupted by Nene leaning her face close to your one shoulder and sniffing twice.

“You don’t smell like seawater. You smell…” she sniffs again. “Clean.”

“Oh…” You remark, checking your immediate surroundings for any potential listeners. “Yeah. I had a wash on the way back from the island. I'm sorry, Nene. I know I promised that we would clean together after the battle, but then this whole festival thing is happening, and my clothes were a wreck, and-”

“Nene had to wash too.” Nene pouts. “Omarun said it would be better if I smelled prettier. I didn’t want to, but it feel nice afterward. Still, it better when done with you.”

“There’s always next time.” You say with a dash of optimism. “There’s bound to be more demons out there that need slaying, and if they gush blood like the last ones we fought, we’ll have plenty to clean off each other then.”

“You promise we’ll fight together more against bad monsters? It wasn’t fair that Botan and other lions got to fight with you more. Ne- I liked fighting with Watame…but it not the same.” Nene goes on, her emerald eyes piercing you with her request, and you are brought back to when you shared a seat within nature with the girl who was still just a stranger to you, where she opened the door to show you the woman she is when she is vulnerable, and wants an unconditional shoulder to lean on.

“I promise.” You say with no hesitation. “Next big battle we get into with monsters, you and I will be at the front lines, breaking down the doors, and making any bad guys sorry for the hurt they’ve caused.”

“People getting hurt is bad, but it feels nice to fight mean people with you. It makes me feel…” Nene looks down at the crackling fire, trying to find the words to describe what her heart wants her to make known to you. “It makes me feel like I thought I would when Champion of Ursoc appeared. Anon is not blessed by Ursoc, but that not matter to Nene. Being with you, helping you, feels right.”

You give the girl beside you a warm smile, you don’t think you could have said it better yourself. The two of you watch the pale flesh char to a bold white as you turn the spit in slow, controlled rotations. This comfortable silence in the great outdoors, and the way Nene’s features glow against the deep orange sun rays, makes your heart skip. Your mind can’t help but entertain images that Nene has had of the two of you since the night you met. Officially vowed to one another for life, and being able to proudly say aloud; “I am Nene’s husband.” Along those very words in your mind, several more images appear.

“Watame and I are married now.” You see yourself declaring to your uncle and dad.

“I promise that I’ll protect and treasure Flare for the rest of my life.” You stand hand in hand with Flare before her father and aunt.

Your arm around Polka’s waist, swinging down from the circus high rise, captivating the audience that cheers when you share a passionate kiss mid flight.

All these powerful desires for a romantic fulfilled future strike you with a very complicated question. How do you make it all work? You can see Nene looking at you from the corner of your eye. You need help; outside help. Undine. Help.

“Hello, Nene.” Undine’s voice comes between the two of you in almost an instant, and the water spirit shines with the smile of a savior. “I think some of the other people could use some help with their fires. Maybe you can show them how the people of Bjornholm properly start a fire? You are basically an ambassador between your home and Shallah now.”

“What’s that?” Nene asks, curious, but eager.

“Someone who represents a group of people, or even a country, and their goal is to usually improve relations between them and another. Wouldn’t it be nice if Bjornholm and Shallah were much closer? Your father could come visit the place your mother grew up in.” Undine goes on to explain, and the idea latches onto her listener like a moth to a flame.

“Yes! Nene wants to-” She starts to get overexcited, but then another look into the eyes of her immediate company, Nene recomposes herself again. “I would like to help Shallah and Bjornholm be great friends. That way, they can help each other forever.”

“Run along then, dear. The more you help, the more they will come to respect your birthplace and want to learn more about it.” Undine then gently ushers Nene along. “I will aid my summoner with his cooking from here.”

Once Nene is well outside of earshot, Undine gives you a curious look. “What is it you need help with, summoner? I could sense you suddenly became quite distressed by something. Did Nene say or do something?”

You look at Undine with unease stricken across your face and shoulders tensed so high up that they might as well be level with your ears. There is no beating around the bush, there is no time. You can’t be sure if Undine can actually help, but you trust her more than anything to try her best with your “unique” problem.

“Alright. Here goes.” You take a deep breath to calm yourself and collect your thoughts. “Back in the elven kingdom, the joke you made about harems…do you remember that?”

“Of course I do, summoner. It was quite amusing to see Flare get so flustered when she was very content on inflicting the same upon you. I cherish that moment like so many of the memories we shared. Why do you ask?”

“Do you remember anything about harems?” You ask, but suddenly feel insecure in your questioning and have to elaborate. “Like how they work. DO they even work? Are there rules?”

“Anon.” Undine’s voice becomes more sharp, but carries a strange lift to it. “Are you inquiring about harems because you mean to form your own?”

Is she really going to make you say it? You try to call her bluff, but the water spirit proves that she will prolong her silence for however long it takes. You are now utterly trapped.

“Y-Yes.” You admit, averting your gaze from her and back onto the fish you work to an even char. “At least, I think so.”

“Why do you sound so unsure?”

“Because I have no idea what I’m doing.” You sigh. “Like I keep promising all these dates and things to everyone, but are they even okay with that? Should I be okay with that? I want to be okay with that. What if I’m not enough?”

Undine looks at you with utter calm; no judgment, no distress, just pure support and acceptance. That alone makes you feel a little better, and then she finally speaks after a short pause. “Perhaps a question of my own would help to alleviate some of your doubts. What do you think you have been doing so far?”

“So far? I’m not sure what you mean. We’ve just been living and traveling like we have from the start.”

“Really? I may have been absent from the start of your journey, but I don’t seem to remember you being quite that intimate with Watame back in Lu’Shaldor, or Flare for that matter.”

“Well I suppose after Bjornholm, I kinda figured out some things and-”  

“Your relationships started to bloom alongside one another.” Undine says with a soft fondness. “You allowed your heart to embrace theirs, and in doing so the feelings you all share grew stronger with every passing day. I believe we had a similar conversation after you took the Rite of Ascension with Flare. You seemed content with the answer I gave you then, what has changed?”

“You know what changed.” You say through your teeth.

“And do you not want the same change to happen between you and Flare? And Polka? And Nene? Has anything truly changed about how you and Watame interact? Take it from someone who knows you inside and out, you are finally being true and expressive to your feelings. Don’t stop now. Don’t you wish to shower the ones precious to you with affection? To show how much you appreciate them?”

“Of course I do.” You snap, a tad defensive over the accusation of the contrary, which seems to be the exact response Undine was hoping for, and you feel the need to go further. “But…what if someone gets jealous? Or what if I do something wrong? How long can something like that really last?”

“Ah. I think I see the actual problem now.” Undine tuts, giving you some hope for a magic answer. “Anon, harems can seem intimidating or nonsensical to some, which is probably where your unease comes from. Have you possibly considered what the others may think about the potential arrangement? Think especially hard about when you have reached new milestones with each of them. Was that ever met with opposition or even discomfort?”

That last bit tickled your ear in a peculiar way, and made a few new supposed truths make themselves known to you.

“I guess not. It’s almost like they look out for each other as much as I look out for them. Just like how we live…Could it really be that simple?” You ask, feeling so close to an epiphany, like your fingers can graze the fixings of the box that contains it.

“It can. Just as your trust and affection for one another is simple and unconditional, so is your love. As I remember, each member of a harmonious harem has equal worth, but there is one detail I should impress upon you.” Undine goes on to say, waiting for your undivided attention before continuing. “You will be at the center of it all. You’ll bear certain responsibilities, but how those will play out, differ just like how relationships differ between person to person. Whoever you should be involved with, is both an individual, and part of a greater you. Do you understand what I am saying?”

“I think so. Whoever I choose to love, I need to be considerate of everyone else’s feelings. Watame, Flare, Polka, Nene, they all mean the world to me. I want to make them all feel special, and return the love I feel from them tenfold. I’d never want any of them to feel small or unwanted.” You say with burning resolve, now filled with the steadfast determination to make your future romantic dreams a reality, and hopefully fulfill the desires of those very girls that are part of them.

“That may require a lot of time and effort.” Undine crosses her arms in mock challenge. “Are you up to the task?”

“For them, I know I can do anything.” You respond. “There is also one rule I am going to make for myself right now.” You go on, and the gesture piques Undine’s interest. “I want anyone who I might get involved with to know what they might be getting into. That’s why I will try to be upfront about my…unique situation.”

“I think that is very responsible of you, summoner. And while I am forbidden from speaking details I was given in confidence, I believe you all will work very well together. I think you will make an excellent and fulfilling center for them all.”

“Botan said something similar a few times already, but I kinda thought she was just teasing me. She seems to get a rise out of getting under my skin a little, but she’s kinda fun when she does that too.” You answer, and something about your body language seems to cause the water spirit to stifle a giggle. “What?”

“Oh nothing. Let us get back to the matter at hand; your next steps. What do you want to do next?”

“Well first I need to finish cooking, then…I’m not really sure. Maybe this is what was bugging me. How do I choose who to steal away for a night, and when?” You say, giving the meat in front of you another testing prod.

“Do you remember what I told you before when you asked if pursuing such relationships would make me uncomfortable because of our link?” Undine poses another question.

“That I should never hold myself back from them, and I should let things flow as they should?” You repeat what you remember back to her, earning a nod from the water spirit.

“It is just as I told you. You need only follow the flow of your own life, and the rest will fall into place. Like it has been already.”

“Already? I don’t think I have really been letting things flow in that sense already.” You counter, but Undine’s smug grin already has your defense in danger of being shattered to bits.

“Oh? Shall I list off the ways you have?” She smirks and leaves you no time for a rebuttal. “You have helped the girls organize a system where each one has a turn helping you with your nightmares. You’ve shared a kiss with four of them so far, five if we count your captain, and to my knowledge they are all aware of all prior events. You also are quite proficient in tempering the advances of more eager females who show an interest in you; a testimony to the respect you have for those important to you. And also-”

“Alright, I get it.” You surrender. “So is it really as simple as doing what I have been so far? I mean it has to change a little doesn’t it?”

“Of course it will. While your love will spread and flourish, all functioning harems have their own set of rules that will appear naturally. Just follow your heart in the moment, and you will not be steered wrong. You are also not alone in this. Trust your partners. They may surprise you.”

Before you can question just what Undine meant by that , your attention is demanded by the smell of a near done fish roast. With the slabs of meat almost cooked through it, was time to implement your special touch.

“Alright, Undine. This next part might be tricky, but I’m hoping it’ll work.”

“Perhaps I can help add a little extra motivation for you?” Undine asks, and you give her a tentative nod to continue. “I think a once in a lifetime ingredient might prove to be a rather irreplaceable gesture towards the ones you hold dear. Show me the resolve you just displayed. Let your feelings manifest in your cooking.”

Undine is absolutely right. This isn’t about making something good enough to shut some disrespectful pirate up. This is about doing your best to create something that the people you love will enjoy. With your heart burning like the fire in front of you, there’s no way you can mess up now.

You hold your hands closer, hovering above the tender surface just enough to bask your palms in an immense warmth that cusps on the edge of being painful. You bring your mana of the all blue to the surface, letting it sit idle along your skin, and now it was time for the true test. Bringing your hands a few inches closer, you search the morsels for the traces of magic you saw earlier, and once the feeling of mana within another bites at the line you cast out, you snatch it and pull. The world becomes muffled to your ears, and your vision becomes solely focused on the white skinned rounds in front of you, it takes the entirety of your focus to keep the magical connection intact, there isn’t much time.

From your will you mold the mana within the heated meat to something similar to that of your healing spell, as though the magic was between your own two hands. The process is strange at first, almost like your consciousness entered another world. To weave magic within a waking dream, the mere recognition of the sensations seems to enhance the control you feel, having practiced it night after night since your tutelage under Sana began. Your fingers flex to orchestrate the energies you tether to them, you pour specific feelings into the rich and potent mana that correlate to the life giving properties of the ocean waters. To fill someone with the energy to challenge roaring waves, to travel along the natural tide, and the inner peace of the still water, these are all things you let burn brightly within your spell. Taking another deep breath to relax yourself, you allow the mana within the meat to disperse, spreading through every cooked inch and becoming invisible to the naked eye. The exercise was more taxing than normal magic for you, but now it was time to check if your experiment was a success.

Using a small fork, you break off a sizable bite from the skewer and blow on it once before shoving it into your mouth. The texture is soft, flakey, and comes apart as soon as it touches your tongue, and the taste is…it is certainly fish, a bit of a let down, but not entirely unexpected. The bigger disappointment was that your magical efforts seemed to have no effect on the taste or be apparent in any way at all, and just when you are about to write it off as a failure, a powerful sensation pulses within your chest. Your taste buds are then hit with a tingling aftertaste that leaves you feeling refreshed and slows down your thoughts, like you were lounging on your own island just big enough for you.

“Alright, everyone HAS to try this. Undine, would you mind?” Your request is received by the water spirit who floats off to do as you wish. You reward yourself with another bite that you take your sweet time with.

“Anon! I brought everyone back!” Nene calls out to you, bringing you out of a culinary bliss. You turn and see her leading your group with Pomu noticeably absent. Oh well, her loss.

“Thanks, Nene. Here you got to try this. I think I discovered something amazing.” You take another forkfull from the spit and rush it over to Nene with a hand underneath. “C‘mon, open up. I promise you’ll like it.”

Nene snaps out of the minor surprise of the request and lets her jaw drop as far as it will go. You ease the utensil just past her lips and she closes down around it. Her eyes widen as her mouth curves upward, giving you the best silent form of praise you could hope for. You slip the fork out from her clamped lips and wait for the best part. Nene’s emerald pools then sparkle when the secret ingredient takes its turn, and her shoulders tense from the unexpected flow of magic into her body and taste receptors. She lets out an elated “mmmmm”, and holds a hand to her cheek. Then, her shoulders relax, and her face contorts to pure bliss.

“I think we gotta try that.” Polka says slack jawed.

“Pshh.” Flare blows. “Anon is a decent cook, but I think Nene is trying to take us for a ride. There’s no way it tastes that good.”

“I wanna try!” Watame exclaims, skipping to the front of the line, and eagerly waiting with her body forward and a very loud “ahhhh”.

More than happy to feed your sheepy beloved, you poke another mouthful off the heated skewer and gently guide it into Watame’s mouth. She accepts your offering and her cheeks flush at the pleasure it gives her.

“Anon! This is great! It tastes like magic!” Watame says after she swallows, and she instinctively opens her mouth for another helping, which your heart implores you to oblige. When Watame is then in the middle of savoring her next bite, you take another fork and offer it up to Flare.

“Just see for yourself.” You say, wanting another vote of reassurance that what you made is truly a work of art. The idea of feeding your half-elf and watching her melt from your creation is also something you have a powerful yearning for, and the feeling is thankfully mutual, Flare takes a step closer, awaiting your delivery.

“Anon?” Flare says between the bites you gave her. “How did you do this?”

“Sorry, you’re not going to get my secrets that easily.” You chuckle, more than happy to have a technique that the half-elf will not master so soon, at least, as long as you don’t tell her how. “Alright, Polka. Your turn.”

When you approach your fennec, you can see the black tip of her tail tense to match the widening of her magnificent eyes, this is going to be even better than you thought.

“I thought you said you needed to try it?” You tease, bringing Polka out of her frozen fluster.

“I-I can feed myself. You don’t need to”

“Oh, I think I do.” You counter, still inching closer with the forkful of fish. “Everyone else got a personal feeding from the chef, and you’re not going to be left out. You’re not embarrassed are you?”

“Just let him do it, Polka.” Flare joins in. “You’ve had Anon feed you parts of his soul. How is this any different?”

“There’s a huge difference!” Polka snaps, her arms shake for an instant, and she takes a step backward to match the one you take forward, unaware of the sheep that slithers underneath.

“If you don’t want it~ I’ll take it!” Watame shoots up, mouth open to take the morsel like it were bait on a hook, but you are just a second too fast for her.

“Oi! Watame! Don’t try to take my food!” Polka yells, and before you can move again, the fennec steps forward and clamps her mouth over the fork you hold. She slides her lips off the metal prongs and begins to chew, and her approval is made fully known to everyone when the two pink locks of hair held by the bow on her forehead begin to rotate with immense speed, creating a pleasant fanning for you.

“Anon, I didn’t know you knew how to cook with mana.” The fennec finds her voice again after a few more seconds. “Is this your first time trying this?”

“Sure is. All I wanted to do was maybe imbue the meat with some of the helpful energies from my healing spell. I saw that Chacu’s mana still lingered, so I had to experiment with it. It turned out way better than I could have hoped.” You say, swelling in pride over your culinary success.

“Yeah, I think he’s got us beat, Flare.” Polka laughs.

“Hey! He hasn’t even tried it yet.” Flare huffs. “And why didn’t you say anything about trying to use mana with it earlier? I didn’t even know you could do that.”

“You never asked.” Polka shrugs, earning a loud groan from the half-elf. “A lot of the folks back in my home town do it too, but the ingredients have to have an excess of mana to do anything noticeable with it. I honestly didn’t see that the big guy was packing this much after kicking the bucket.”

“W-Well he should still try what we made first. I’ll be right back.” The half-elf turns and marches off to where her workstation likely was. While you may be enjoying basking in your preemptive victory, you are also quite eager to taste what Flare and Polka made specifically with you in mind.

“Oh! I’ll tell Botan to bring some stew over. I think you’ll really like it, Anon. You too, Nene.” Watame suddenly bursts, and then rushes over to where the alpha lioness stirs a large stick within a pot large enough for a person…let’s hope Botan is actually finished adding all her ingredients.

“Alright, while we wait for them, I think you should get to try this next, Undine. Let’s get Sylph over here. She can try some, then I’ll summon you.” You say with a degree of firmness, purposely thinking the thoughts as you speak them so a certain someone is tuned into the conversation.

“Sorry, summoner! We’re completely swamped over here! I just can’t get away for a moment. We got people lining up and down the beach!” Like you hoped, Sylph answers you, but it was an unacceptable response.

You scoff externally and take a few steps towards the shoreline, trying to gauge if there is any truth to the wind fairy’s claim. Sure enough, You can just make out the shadows of people slowly moving in an orderly fashion towards a spot where two distinctly winged individuals are merrily tending to the needs of the next lucky person in line. A seemingly random breeze rolls by, but you detect a trace of Pomu along its brush, and then a voice disembarks.

“Come one, come all! KFP’s newest product has hit the stand for tonight only! Come eat a piece of history, the mighty beast Chachu Challhua, fried to perfection by master chef and hero to you all; Kiara Takahashi! Don’t miss out! Once we’re out of stock, that’s it! No repeats, no runbacks, nada! It is literally the last of its kind, so hurry while supplies last!”

“I gotta say, the girl knows how to bring in a crowd. I taught her that.” Polka puffs her chest out, and you roll your eyes.

“Fried to perfection, my butt.” You grumble, then consciously switch to your inward voice again.

“Sylph, I’m giving you one minute to fly yourself over here. I’m not letting Undine go all night without trying what she helped me cook. If you don’t, I’m going to summon her anyway. You can either get yourself a taste of what we made first, or miss your chance for the rest of the night. It’s your choice.”

Your ultimatum goes unnoticed for several seconds, then a voice tinged with panic chimes into your mind.

“Awww, c’mon, summoner! We’re really making this place hoppin’! You wouldn’t take away one of Kiara’s helping hands when she needs them most right now, would you? I’m doing this for us, ya know. Don’t you want to be on her good side? She’s a great fighter and a real looker. Ehh? Eh?”

“Unless you got her to erase that massive debt, I don’t wanna hear it. Now please get your wings over here. You’ve gotten to help the people of Shallah a lot already today, it’s time to let Undine join in too. Oh, and bring me a piece of whatever Kiara made. I need to see for myself if it’s worth the hype.”

“Now a delivery, that I can swing! Then if I happen to lose my legs while on said delivery, oops! I guess my shift will be over. Be right there, summoner!”

So the girl just needed an excuse? Unbelievable. Never a dull moment with her around, that’s for sure.

“What is Anon thinking about?” Nene asks Polka. “Does he need to use bathroom?”

“He’s having a private conversation, Nenechi.” Polka snickers.

“Nene have private conversations in bathroom all the time. Best ideas happen there.” The other girl remarks, enticing another snerk from the fennec.

Sylph then arrives before more comments from the comedy duo can be made, carrying a single mass of golden brown and crispy fried goodness on a flat stick. She hands you the fishy snack with a full toothed smile, and you give a brief thanks and take it from her. You look it over, it appears no different than Kiara’s normal chicken drumsticks. Shrugging, you take a big bite from the side…it pretty much tastes like chicken. Astounding; Kiara managed to make an ancient extinct sea creature taste like run of the mill chicken, really good and decadent chicken, but still chicken.  

“Sylph, how does Kiara normally cook her food?” You ask with a degree of distrust.

“She just shoves whatever she needs to cook in that box stand of hers, and then it comes out like this. It sounds like something is bubbling in there, but I wasn’t about to pry. Chefs like their secrets after all.” Sylph shrugs, but her attention then shifts to the rotating skewer next to you. “Oooooo. I can tell you got your own magic touches too. Can I try a piece?”

“It’s for anyone and everyone to try, so be my guest.” You take one step to the side and gesture for the wind spirit to help herself.

Sylph wastes no time using a spare fork from the small table you set aside for your utensils to get herself a piece straight from the source. To no surprise, it’s a hit. The wind spirit’s wings flutter with almost blinding speed when she’s hit with the magical rush of flavor from your dish.

“Wowie! That packs a zing!” She explains. “Okay, I get it now. Big Sis, I surrender being solid to you for the rest of the night.”

With the wind spirit’s blessing officially given, you perform the summoning which gives Undine the gift of flesh, and Sylph the serenity of the incorporeal. Once Undine adjusts to her land legs again, you hand her a eating utensil with her own portion to try. She gives you an appreciative smile and ingests the small bit of a Chacu.

“I must say, summoner, the spell you wove within your cooking is quite refreshing.” Undine praises you while wriggling one set of fingers in front of her, whose tips sparkle with the radiance of her own magic. She holds her hand upward, and from her digits sprout tiny spurts of water, and she looks at her simple flex of mana with sheer satisfaction. “I feel as though I could traverse the entire ocean in a single swim.”

“That’s nice of you to say, but I don’t think it’s THAT potent.” You chuckle, and as a rebuttal Undine bends her fingers downward, squirting your face with a playful force that is almost enough to make you step backward. “Alright alright, I’ll take the compliment.” You wipe the lingering droplets off your face and are met with the playful smile of the water spirit, and past her shoulder you spot Flare on her way back to rejoin you all, carrying a small plate.

You meet her halfway and look down at the saucer that has a single bunned sandwich whose dome is toasted to a light golden brown. From the sides poke out the border of a white grilled patty, lettuce, and a creamy sauce can be seen overflowing over its surface. You look at Flare who struggles to not make eye contact, she then practically shoves the plate into your chest.

“Here. I tried yours, now you should try what Polka and I made.” She desperately tries to keep her false bravado at the forefront, but you can see the need for acceptance and appreciation behind those amber eyes, along with the reflection of your own that harbor the same feelings for this woman.

“Thanks Flare!” You chirp and take the toasty sandwich and bring it to your mouth a big chomp. Your teeth chew through a warm outer layer of bread, then find the satisfying and refreshing crunch of fresh lettuce, followed by the main course; fish that falls apart effortlessly in your mouth that had been slathered in a tangy flavor that electrifies your taste buds. You can’t keep yourself from taking another bite, and then another. There is also a familiar subtle taste to the entire sandwich, but you can’t quite place your finger on what it is.

“This is awesome, Flare!” You say between mouthfuls. “You and Polka did great, it’s cooked just how I like it.”

“You’re not just saying that?” Flare asks tentatively, still unsure of her creation.

To answer her, you down the last quarter of your meal in one overzealous bite. It takes some extra effort to chew the whole thing down, but your audience chortles at your minor struggle, making the slight discomfort worth it.

“See? I told ya it would knock your socks off.” Polka remarks with beaming pride. “Meat always cooks better over a fire made from the heart, and flames made from a spell add a certain taste to it. Flare even toasted the buns with just her palm. It’s about time she learned how to use her magic in ways that don’t involve kicking people’s butts.”

“Let’s not forget about that little finishing touch you did. That little sprinkle of what you called ‘Kitsune Spice’, at the end? I think you also said something about how Anon would be the only person who could pick up on the flavor. Now why is that?” Flare decides to dish back from teasing, making Polka’s cheeks ignite bright pink.

“Ohhhhh, so that’s what that familiar taste was.” You slap your balled hand down on your other palm. “Wait, why can I only taste it? It’s just magic like anything else isn’t it?”

“You have a very refined palette of course.” Polka tries to smooth the question over, but you aren’t buying it.

“I’m not so sure about that. Out of all of us, Flare is probably the one who has eaten better most of her life. Polka, was this a spice for me to taste and enjoy, or something to ‘spice’ me for your own enjoyment later?”

“D-Don’t worry about that right now.” Polka stammers, and then her eyes lock onto what would be her savior. “Lookie! Botan and Watame are here for your next taste test!”

“Yo.” Botan greets you, holding a small wooden bowl that is filled almost to the lip with a creamy, steamy concoction where various shapes bob and float across its surface. “Here you go. I hope it’s good.”

You take the bowl from the lioness, giving her an appreciative smile that is returned with only the slightest upturn of her lips. Using the small wooden spoon that was nestled within, you bring a small portion to your lips and give it a cooling blow before it enters your mouth. A wonderful blend of cream that has the chill vibe of the sea, and your tongue spreads apart the clumpy mixture to find carrots, peas, and chunks of fish. The way it slides down your throat and hits your stomach makes you feel lazy in the best of ways.

“This is really great.” You don’t make the lioness wait any longer to hear your assessment. “I had no idea you could cook like this, Botan.”

“Thanks. It’s the same recipe I was going to use on Watame. We just had to change a few things.” Botan smirks.

“I helped too!” Watame chirps, and you give her the praise she yearns for in the form of a gentle pat on the head.

“I still think you should have dipped your legs in. He likes your taste after all.”

You stop your spoon mid-lift and glare at Botan, who does not even flinch. She just meets your eyes with an utmost honesty that you find…concerning. You continue eating, not breaking from the lionesses gaze once, if she was joking, you WILL catch her on it. Unfortunately, Botan’s will matches you point for point, and by the time your entire bowl had been emptied down to the last sip, her composure did not break. Fine, it’s time to turn the tables.

“That was delicious for you two. Thank you. I could almost go for seconds already. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”

“After the battle we fought yesterday, I’m surprised that you managed to stop eating. I could barely keep myself from eating the stew as we made it.” Botan remarks, her hand comforting her stomach.

“Then how about you reward yourself with what I made?” You peel off an extra large portion of meat off your held skewer and with some quick handiwork, cut it into even chunks before plating it. Botan extends her hands to take the saucer, only for you to retract your arms and stab one of the bits with a fork. You motion to feed Botan personally, and in a brief flash, you notice those gray eyes of hers actually portray something resembling surprise before falling back into a stone calm. It wasn’t much, and probably only you noticed, but that’s enough.

“You’re really going to feed me?” She tests you again, but this time the advantage is yours.

“Pssst! Botan!” Watame inches in, pretending no one can hear her. “You should let Anon do it. I think he’s trying to show you that he likes you. He hand fed all of us too. You’re one of us, now.” Botan’s eyes then narrow, and her smile turns into the picture of smugness.

“If my packleader is willing to feed me in front of his prime, I guess that means he wants me to be his second. Maybe we should make it official after this~” She purrs, enjoying how it takes every ounce of your willpower to keep your raised arm steady.

And just like that, your advantage is gone. You look around for someone to back you up, but all you find are amused onlookers. Watame looks especially smug over the idea, and Flare looks to be enjoying your flustered response, but at the same time she looks a little…upset? No, impatient? Maybe this is about what happened yesterday. You both had so much you wanted to say to one another, and promised to do so after the battle had been won. Damn, you really have put this off long enough already, you should bring her aside and-

“Hey, Anon.” Botan, having grown tired of waiting, bites down on your fork. She lingers for a few seconds before very slowly sliding her lips off your metal prongs, looking like she is savoring every microscopic morsel that it holds. She lets out a pleased hum that lights a fuse or two within you, and to add more fuel to the fire, she straightens herself and gives her lips a sweeping lick. “I don’t know what you did to add that kick, but it feels pretty great. It reminds me of your healing magic a little. I feel good enough to have a rematch with you. That sounds pretty exciting now that I think about it.”

“Now who’s being too much?” You scoff. “I plan on not doing any sort of fighting for at least a few days, thank you very much. I think I’ve earned a nice little vacation.”

“Have you ever tried mud wrestling though? There’s a really nice spot I have back on my island for it. I planned to take you there at some point.”

The idea of combat sport with Botan, in the slippery mud, possibly without clothes on, is a very dangerous one indeed, and one you have to brush off for now.

“I did promise each of the pack a personalized day to show me each of your favorite parts of the island, so sure.” You shrug. “But tonight I plan on celebrating life with all my favorite people. Which by the way, how do you think we move this whole contest thing along?”

“Why are you asking us? You were the one who thought this whole thing up.” Flare raises an eyebrow, which then quickly descends when a mischievous revelation strikes her. “Don’t tell me. You didn’t bother setting up any of the details, did you?”

“I didn’t think I had to. Sammy and all them seemed like they knew exactly what needed to be done so I just…”

“You just, what?” Flare holds a hand to her ear that her smile tries its best to reach. “Go on, you can say it.”

You know exactly what the half-elf wants to hear, but you will not give it to her, not that easily. You take a look around, under the soothing orange of the setting sun, people are gathered in groups, sharing food, laughs, and relief with one another. Therein lies your answer.

“I just didn’t feel like I needed to bother with making this a big competition in an official way.” You start, giving your silver tongue a flex. “This night is supposed to be about coming together and enjoying the splendor of life. I admit that at the start I just wanted to put Roxy in her place and get some respect from her, but I don’t think I really care about that anymore.”

“Hard to believe you’re actually turning down a challenge.” Flare retorts, not buying into your sell completely.

“Well I got plenty of more meat to cook, and a lot of people should get to try it. Then if people want to compare things on their own, I won’t stop them.” You shrug,

“He doesn’t care about the competition, he says.” Flare crosses her arms. “Well if you’re going to back out, you should just vote that Polka and mine’s was the best.”

“Oh I care. It’s more about what certain people think about my cooking, instead of there being some official scale.” You take a step closer to the half-elf, a long, distance closing step that brings your faces mere inches apart. “The people whose opinion I care about, they already said they loved it. And when it comes from the people I love, that’s all I need. Which, I guess I should pay it forward now. Flare, I loved the meal you made for me.”

Your forward flirtation hits Flare exceptionally well. Her eyes widen, her cheeks get that adorable light chocolate tinge to them, and she starts to breathe through her nose in an attempt to keep her senses from overloading. You don’t think you’ll ever get tired of that look, but there are more compliments to spread around. You are the centerpiece of this circus of love after all.

You take a step to the side, twirling your body as you go to address the rest of your friends. “Polka, Botan, Watame. I loved what you all helped make, and I don’t feel like I could pick either above the other. They were too different, but amazing in their own ways. We should really cook something really big together soon. Imagine what we could create together. Even tonight, Nene was the one who helped me with mine, and it might not have turned out as good without her. I guess what I’m trying to say here is that I love you guys, you’re all the best.”

“We love you too, Anon!” Watame charged you first, wrapping you in her arms, followed by Nene, then Polka who arms in Flare. Within the beautiful hug pile, you beckon Botan over with a hand that you can only move from the wrist down, and lioness is the last to join you, which feels right.

“Now that we all had a little to eat, what’s next?” Polka asks.

“Well, we got a beach, nowhere to go, and an endless supply of booze courtesy of the BlackWhale Pirates, so whatever we want!” You feel like the sky’s the limit and an immense weight has been lifted off your shoulders. The people of  Shallah are free and living again, and now you can really cut loose and celebrate.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m still hungry.” Botan says, and then another grumbling stomach seems to share the sentiment.

“Ugh. Me too.” Flare groans. “Give me more of your fish, Anon.”

“Me too.”

“Me three.”

“Nene wants a lot more too.”

“Help yourselves to as much as you want. I’ll get another batch over the fire.”

“Oh, would it be alright for me to try performing the finishing touches on them this time? Perhaps you could guide me through your thought process?” Undine then asks.

“Go for it. You’ll probably be able to do it a lot better than I can. I’d be happy to show you.”

“I’m gonna join in too then.” Flare raises her hand high.

“So does this count as your magic practice session for the day?” Polka gives you both a sly smile, hoping to get a rise out of you both, but yours and Flare’s mind are as one on this.

“Yes.” You both say in unison.

“So that means unless you are trying to improve your water magic” you start.

“Try not to bother us.” Flare finishes.

“Ohh! That means I can join, right?!” Watame points to herself from overhead.

You and Flare both look at the sheep with uncertainty, until she starts jumping up and down in unbridled excitement.

“I can do water magic now, Anon! I learned how to do it in the big fight to take back the island for our pack! I can blow lots of bubbles from my mouth now.” She squees, overjoyed to finally share this with you.

“That’s amazing!” You and Flare both say, equally delighted at your friend’s new found discovery.

“How did you do it?” The half-elf almost demands. “I thought you had a hard time shaping your mana into elements like Polka.”

Watame then goes into energetic detail over her battle with the mechanical menace, and how when their backs were against the wall, she awakened to a new power within her. You were enchanted by her innocent retelling, wishing you could have seen with your own eyes how your beloved sheep led the entire lion calvary into battle and fought an opponent you yourself would have doubts about. She really is your combat sheep.

“That’s awesome, Watame. They sure as hell didn’t see that coming!” Flare gives her friend a high five that overpowers the surrounding crowds. “You can definitely join in with us, but I’m not sure how much help we can be for you right now. I don’t really know how to make spells with my breath yet.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I have.” You take the chance to gloat after you’ve secured the new spit over the fire. “Pomu and I used our breath to blow some harpies into the ground. It was pretty impressive if I do say so myself.”

“Let me guess, it was during your resonance?” The half-elf smirks, always so sure of herself when it comes to you. The scary part is, she has good reason to be.

“So what if it was?” You retort. “I still did it.”

“Could you do it again? On your own? Could you properly explain how to form a spell from your lungs to Watame and I?” Flare prods, challenging you again, igniting an all too familiar fire within your heart.

“You’ll just have to wait and see.” You get right in Flare’s face, basking in the rivalry you share. “I’m not about to unleash a cyclone onto our party, but I say we settle something else right now. Scores. I bet I totally kicked more pirate ass than you.”

“Oooo~” Watame hums, happy to egg on your exchange. “Yeah! I wanna know who won.”

“Go ahead, summoner. I believe I can handle the cooking from here.” Undine gives you permission to play, and then she turns her head towards her sister. “Sylph, would you mind finding the rest of our summoner’s lions? I believe they were part of this contest as well.”

“Arlight, time to settle this.” You puff out your chest, and invite Flare to walk with you to where Polka, Nene, and Botan all sit, and you begin to form a relaxed circle on the sand. You take the open spot next to the alpha lioness and Flare seats herself beside you, positioning herself so that your knees touch gingerly.

“We’re going to see who won the pirate bashing contest.” Watame informs the group as she sits on the other side of Flare.

“I was wondering when you were going to sort that out. I did have this crazy idea that maybe Flare and Anon wouldn’t get so competitive and just enjoy each other’s company for once, but alas, some dreams are meant to stay dreams.” Polka chuckles, her sarcasm earning a slight snicker from Botan.

“Yeah, like you would pass up a free opportunity to get a free favor from Anon.” Flare snorts. “This wasn’t just a friendly competition, there are stakes.”

“Maybe that’s how you have to operate, but Anon just seems to do what I need without me having to ask for favors. I guess I would have asked him to join in one of my acts sometimes, but he already said he wants to. You might need to work on your approach a little bit, Flare.” The fennec shrugs and gives you a sly smile followed by a wink.

“Omarun teach me best way to get things from Anon?.” Nene asks, then she looks down in deep thought. “Or are Omarun and Anon special because of special fox thing? Does it work like spell?”

“It is NOT a spell.” Polka snaps, going so far as to take Nene by the shoulder, and shake the girl who giggles at the sudden outburst.

“It is special though.” You try not to laugh at your fennec’s expense. “It’s also not like Polka is the only one who can ask me for things. Just don’t expect me to do it if you’re trying to tease or embarass me.”

“But teasing you is half the fun~” Flare coos, and then a bright idea looks to shine through her eyes. “Oh! I got just the thing to use my favor on. I hope you’re ready for this one, Anon.”

“Pshh, yeah right.” You wave off. “You’re bluffing, and besides, you’d have to be the victor first. Which you definitely are not.”

“Remember, just because you beat the head pirate, doesn’t mean you get more points.” Flare grins, knowing exactly what type of cards you’d try to play if you had to.

“That’s exactly what it should mean.” Frala’s voice ripples through the ear like a shockwave, whipping your neck to her direction to find that the rest of your lionesses have arrived.

All six women had large plates carrying what you can guess are their signature dishes. Frala, squats down and hands you a hand-sized skewer that pierces five chunks of meat that have been heavily seasoned and seared. You accept the offering and proceed to try it out of politeness, your stomach was already starting to feel adequately filled. The texture is tough, but the parade of spices it is laced with make the effort of chewing through feel like less of a chore. It is rewarding enough that you immediately tear off the second chunk and begin to work through it, making the lioness flash a fanged smile.

“Like I was saying, since Anon took out the more dangerous prey, his standing should reflect that.” Frala goes on, standing up and allowing Bree and Bransha to come to you next with their own edible gift; a thin broth with an oceanic aroma.

The twins’ sea leviathan bisque is actually quite refreshing, it was cool enough to be drunk down in just a few gulps, which you were implored to do as Riki was waiting impatiently to present you with her dish. You look to Flare and Botan for aid, but both seem content and even amused to leave you to your fate. On the one hand it is very flattering to have a gaggle of beautiful women all want to cook for your approval, on the other hand, your stomach is already close to bursting, and the smell of fish is starting to upturn your insides. Keep it together, Anon. You promised your pack that you don’t play favorites. You took down an deranged orca demi-human, you can enjoy a few more portions that have heart put into them…you hope.

On your plate was a simple grilled Chacu filet, but what was placed next to it has your interest; a small white mound that looks cold to the touch. Seeing your eyes glued to the mysterious side dish, Riki comments that you should save it for last, and that it would be the best part. A little reluctant, you stuff the grilled fish meat into your mouth in as few bites as you can manage, and when you gulp the last morsel down, you move on to explore the chilled foodstuff. Using a spoon, you shovel a small bit off the top, and when those shards of white hit your tongue, you are overwhelmed by a chilling, but sweet taste. Riki looks all too happy as she watches you shovel down the rest. Not only was what she made unlike anything you’ve had before, but your mouth somehow feels cleaner after eating it.

“And that’s not all my magic can help do~” Riki winks and struts to the side, leaving you to contemplate the mystery behind her words.

Next is Nula, and while your taste buds were feeling rejuvenated, your stomach was still at capacity. Another giggle from the peanut gallery who casually work on their own singular meals made from your love and labor reminds you of your position. Just two more, and this one was another simple filet, but lathered in a thick brown sauce that not only helped disguise the dryness, but also added a rich and spicy kick to the meat.

It was tough, but for Nula’s adorable smile, you pushed through. You could very well keel over after Korla’s but you resolve to eat what she made for you till the last bite. If you can’t pass a simple ordeal like this, how can you hope to be enough of a man for all the women you pine for. Yes. That helps you steel yourself for the final hurdle, and when Korla reveals what her dish is, you could almost cry from happiness. Roasted carrots, peppers, leafy greens! Light and nutritious goodness covers almost the entire plate, leaving only a small fish patty that looks to be wrapped entirely with lettuce on the side.

Oh Korla, I could kiss you right now for being my savior once again. I’ll try to remember to do that when I haven’t been eating fish nonstop.

You crunch the hearty vegetables with renewed vigor, and the second they hit your gut, you feel a wave of relief flow through your body. Healing spells are great, but nothing beats the effects of a balanced meal. Even the lettuce wrapped fish goes down effortlessly. You may still feel like bursting, but at least you feel satisfied.

While your mouth was busy being stuffed, you had no chance to weigh in on the conversation Frala had injected herself into upon her arrival. While you arguably took down the heaviest of pirate hitters, Flare would not budge on the idea that should make you the automatic winner. You have to say you agree with the sentiment. This was a contest about the quantity of foes defeated, not quality. You still feel more than confident in the count you have in your head. The rest now you suppose is up to fate.

“That was all” you bring your hand to your mouth and hold in a burp that blows hot against your palm. You take a few seconds to make sure your body isn’t going to make a repeat performance before lowering your hand again. “That was all great. Thanks, you guys.”

“I’m impressed you downed it all.” Frala slaps her knee from the opposite side of the circle. “A guy like you probably burns through food faster than he can eat it.”

“I sure hope so.” You suppress another burp.

“Here, girls. Try what Anon cooked. It’s amazing!” Watame then sees to giving each of the pack their own helping of your spell infused food. “Now that we’re all here, we can find out who won the pirate fighting contest.”

“Hold on. We should make sure Pomu and Marine are here for this too. Sylph, do you mind?”

“Not at all, summoner. I’ll be back in a flash.”

While you all wait for the last few members to arrive, everyone stays in silence to determine their estimation with as much certainty as they could. Through your memory you try to remember every sorry face you slapped down, from the first of the RockyRoad pirates, all the way to Blackfin. After three or four passes, you arrive at the same number again and again, that will have to be it. Pomu, and Marine arrive, both wearing pleasant smiles, even Kiara looks particularly content about something.

“So what’s this all about that we had to rush over here for?” Marine asks as she takes a seat between Pomu and Kiara. “Some kinda contest?”

“Oh yeah! We never clued you in. Okay” Pomu begins, all too eager to play narrator. “So Anon and Flare have this competitive streak with each other, they will try to outdo each other in EVERYTHING. It’s actually adorable when you get used to it, they both push each other so hard, but if you ask me, some of it seems like a front because they don’t how to properly convey their feelings, and-”

Flare chuffs and flicks a spark of flame at the fae, landing right on her shoulder as it takes great delight in beginning to eat through the cloth she wears. Pomu shrieks and begins to panic, and before she can even start slapping her own person in an attempt to snuff out the flame, a splash of water you send over with a flick of the wrist does the job for her. You and Flare share a smug victory over the mouthy fae, who is perhaps more determined than ever to make her point.

“See?!” She points at the two of you. “They can’t even handle someone making an innocent speculation! They’re trying to silence me like they’re trying to silence their hearts! It’s a travesty, it can’t be allowed to go on. Won’t someone take pity on a poor fairy who is not long for this world?” Pomu ups her acting and holds a pained hand over her shoulder. “If there is a god above, I ask that they implore these two love stricken souls to finally admit to their true selves. Lest they be denied…their happily ever after.”

Pomu then lets herself drop to the side in a mock faint to be caught by Kiara who stifles a snicker before putting on a mask of sorrow. “Oh you poor, mistreated creature. Stricken down because of the pride of mortal man. Although you may be flying to a better place, know that I will carry out your last wish. If these two souls will not be true to themselves in life, then they will be truth to themselves in death! The flame of the everlasting reveals all. They will ascend to the afterlife intertwined at last, this I promise you.”

“Thank you, kind hero.” Pomu pretends to struggle to reach up and take Kiara’s hand in hers. “A fairy COUGH is weakened when people hold themselves back from true love. I do not…have much time left.”

“Noooo! Please don’t go, kind fairy.” Marine falls over, draping her hands over Pomu’s still body. “Please hang on, I swear on the name of the Houshou Pirates, I will right the wrongs of this world, and help these two soulmates to-be find their greatest treasure. Brave hero, please allow me to help them before we resort to a solution that would rob them the chance to leave the mark of their love onto this world. I will bring them together, or die trying. That is a pirate’s vow.”

“Great. Now there’s three of them.” You sigh.

“Maybe I should use a bigger flame this time.” Flare points up her finger and a full, pointed flame dances along its tip. When you are both about to unleash a not so subtle declaration that your relationship is not some drama, Kiara locks eyes with you both, and the immense glare of the sun warrior is enough to make you both shrink in your seats, snuffing out spells of flame and water alike.

“I think they’re naturals.” Polka laughs. “We could take the three of them on the road with us and make a killing as a roadside act. Kiara even comes with her own catering.”

“Maybe I’ll tag along just for the grub.” Botan remarks, putting you at your limit with this conversation.

“Alright. You all had your fun. Now can we get back on topic please?” You say with a hint of soreness.

“We teased Anon and Flare enough, at least for now.” Marine sits herself back up and puts the theatrics away. “So is there a prize or something for the winner?”

“One free no questions asked favor. From Anon.” Flare clarifies, and you are suddenly caught off guard.

“What do you mean, ‘From Anon’?” You snap. “What about everyone else?”

“Who else would any of us want a favor from?” Flare retorts.

“So no matter who wins, I’m in danger…” Your head droops down, but you quickly recover and hold your head high. “Well fine, if that’s how you’re gonna bend the rules. When I win, you’re the one in my sights, Flare. I hope you’re ready.”

“Like there’s a chance you beat down more pirates than me. You get so laser focused, you probably ignored everyone you could while on your way to fight Blackfin.” Flare pokes your nose with a stern finger.

“Oh just keep building yourself up.” You fire back. “It’s gonna make it that much worse for you when I win this whole thing.”

“Ha! Worse for me? I think a certain someone likes to forget that no matter how much they think they turn the tables on me, I can spin them back twice as fast. Just keep yapping threats, Anon, it’s just gonna make things much, MUCH worse for you when I win and you’re at my mercy. Oh that’s gonna be sweet.”

“Someone better just kick this off.” Polka sighs with a smile. “This could go on all night.”

“Man, you weren’t kidding, Pomu. They’re just like an old couple.” Marine says, but the only thing you can pay heed to is the half-elf in front of you, constantly challenging your presence.

“I’ll go first then.” Frala wears a confident grin, eager to voice her own prowess. “I took down seventy of those gutless bastards. So, how many of you did I knock out of the competition already?”

“Crap. I’m out.” Bransha groans. “I only got fifty-six.”

“Same.” Bree sighs.

“Well at least I beat you two, I got sixty.” Riki chimes in. “Geez. I was so close to catching up with Frala too. What about you, Nula?”

“I got sixty-four!” Nula says with a smile that tells you that no matter what everyone else’s numbers were, she felt like a winner. Good girl, keep that kinda attitude and you’ll go far.

“Good work, Nula. You’re going to be a great hunter for our pack one day.” Korla congratulates the smaller lioness with a pat on her head. “You even got more than me. I think I stopped at forty-eight.”

“What about you, Botan?” Frala looks eager to challenge the alpha. “You’re pretty quiet over there. Don’t tell me that with all that crazy stuff you can make, you fell behind.”

“I want to hear how Anon and Flare did first.” Botan responds, cool and composed.

“Alright. Try not to act too shocked when you hear this, Flare.” You crack your knuckles in front of you, wearing the smirk of a champion. “From the northern shores where Undine and I beached the enemy fleet, to a ship that could fly in the sky, and all the way across the ocean to where an iron warship hurried to shove off, I took down everyone who stood in my way. The captain of the SeaKroc Pirates, the red bearded dwarf of the RockyRoads, and the finned bastard himself, they all got a good taste of the ground. With the best friends a guy could ask for backing me up, I took down eighty-eight pirates. It was Shining Comet’s first time in a real battle with its newfound name, and I couldn’t think of a better debut.”

Your presentation was met with ecstatic applause from Watame and your lion pack, minus Botan who seems more amused by the reveal than anything. You give a half bow and turn your attention back to Flare, who just looks at you blankly. That’s it, you got her now.

“So, how did you and Soul Quill do?” You ask, needing to hear the lower number be spoken from the half-elf’s lips to seal your victory.

“Well, since you want to make a big thing of it.” Flare taunts back with such gusto that you are immediately afraid that this is no mere bluff. “The elves and humans of the SunFlower Pirates were like sparring with children to me, and their captain was a pushover as soon as I overcame the magical toys she stole. Which by the way, I can do a full body mana coat now, can you?” She gives you a second for a possible rebuttal, but the truth is written on your face as clear as the sky. “No? Oh well you’ll get there someday. Now where was I? Oh yeah. After I punished that disgrace of an elf for pissing me off, I met up with everyone else on the shore, knocked a few more heads, and then came to save your sorry butt.”

“Nene and Anon did not need saving!” Nene blurts out. “We would have clobbered mean horn men, but they ran away.”

“E-Easy, Nenechi.” Polka calms her friend down. “We don’t need to think about those guys anymore, remember?”

While you would also like to remind yourself and everyone around you that the oni pirates would have met the same fate as the rest of the fleet, you hold yourself back for Polka’s sake. She is also absolutely right, those bastards aren’t worth a second thought. If they ever show their face around you again, they’ll be sorry.

“Then let’s not forget how I helped Marine capture not one, but two ships during the entire campaign.” Flare continues, and her showboating is starting to make you worry. “Which brings my total count to…” She pauses, she is going to make you wait for it. Her cheeks curve, and her lips warp into a smug, beautiful smile, she knows she has you beat. Dammit, she knows it and is dragging it out.

“Eighty. Nine.”

One. You were one pirate away from being even with Flare. One Stellar spell, that’s all it would have taken to win. One wayward spell into any motion of movement aboard any of those ships, and you would have won. You slap your palm against your face, covering your vision in an attempt to escape from this world.

“Awww. Don’t feel too bad, Anon. You almost had me this time.” Flare coos, patting you on the head. “I think I got the perfect request lined up too. It should be fun~”

“Flare doesn’t win though.” Nene speaks up, sparking hope that you have just been saved from whatever fate Flare had cooked up for you. “Nene smashed more pirates. One hundred and fifteen.”

All eyes fall on the bubbly girl who sits with her knees tucked to her chest, slowly rocking back and forth, not the slightest bit aware of the gravity behind her words.

“O-Over one hundred?” You say through your dry mouth. “Nene, that’s incredible.”

“No kidding. No spells…just claws.” Flare’s mouth hangs open, and she slowly turns her chin toward you. “The power of Ursol is something else…guess you’re at Nene’s mercy now, Anon.”

“Nope.” Botan chirps, her fangs poking out through her smile as she admires the strong side of her nails in front of her. “He’s mine. One Hundred and Twenty. That’s the count I had by the time we left that warship.”

“No way. You’re lying.” Flare scoffs. “You were pretty quick when we were fighting alongside Marine, but there weren’t THAT many pirates there.”

“I believe it.” You nod. “On our way up to the deck of Blackfin’s ship, Botan cleared entire rooms all on her own. If she tosses one of those self-made explosives into a group, they’re all down for the count. You’re amazing, Botan.”

“Nene agrees! Botan is very strong. Sad to lose, but happy that Botan won. Nene can always ask Anon for things whenever she wants anyway.”

“I can’t believe I lost.” Flare sighs. “I knew Nene would be tough to beat, but I didn’t think Botan would blow us both out of the water like that. That’s what I get for being a team player.”

“And you’re one of the best teammates I could ever ask for.” You put a hand over Flare’s and give her a big, stupid smile. “We just got the jobs that gave us less heads to knock this time around. We can switch it up next time.”

“If you ask me, Anon is the one who really deserves a prize.” Botan then says, and everyone’s eyes are now on you, filled with affection and respect. “No matter how bad things got, you never stopped trying to find a way to come out on top. You took down that heartless bastard not just because you wanted to, but for us; a bunch of girls who tried to eat your mate. You’re really something else, Anon.”

“I’m nothing without you guys backing me up.” You try to keep the fluttering you now feel in the depths of your stomach to a minimum, so you focus on the amazing people you have around you. “Which since we’re on the topic, I want to hear about how most of your fights went. Especially you, Flare. You went toe to toe with a pirate captain all on your own. And you said you even managed to pull off a full body mana coat?”

“That wasn’t the only new trick I picked up.” Flare dives right into boasting thanks to the slight praise you just gave. “Should I go first then? I guess my battle was one of the first big ones, huh? Well, there I was, on those abandoned sandy streets, and the captain of those rotten thieves finally shows herself and goes on and on and one about how I’m a half-elf, she was just trying to throw me off, so I-”

You listen to Flare’s retelling with undivided attention. The way she describes her own personal battle captivates, impresses, and even distresses you. She was doing a good job putting on a brave face, but you can somehow sense that the battle shook her in a profound way. Only when you place your hand on hers that sits atop the cool sand, does that lingering doubt seem to vanish. She looks at you with proud and appreciative eyes, as she finishes her story with the brilliant finale of how the Aquarius star sign came through for her and dealt the final blow. The form of magic was very curious to you, until Polka theorized that it might be a form of rune magic; magic that can be activated by written symbols and mana. To say you are a little jealous of Flare’s progress is an understatement, but the idea that she just broke through a new ceiling makes you want to try even harder. You hope she never stops getting stronger.

Polka then takes over, describing your joint effort to defeat the SeaKroc Pirates in extravagant and maybe slightly exaggerated detail. You half-expected her to leave out the part about her aura saving you from certain death, but the fennec speaks about your close partnership with pride, if not with a slight blush to her cheeks that she tries desperately to keep under control. While your victory is met with praise, Polka seems to be the real winner of this encounter, as Watame and Flare both shower her with unending congratulations over finally speaking more to hers and your relationship.

“What did that feel like, Anon?” Watame asks inbetween stories.

“I’m not really sure how to describe it.” You throw a questioning glance Polka’s way to gauge whether or not she wants you to even make the attempt out in the open. The fennec gives you a soft nod, and her shoulders seem to release some of their tension. “It’s not really like when Undine possessed me, and it’s not really like resonance either. Really the only thing that comes to mind is that it feels like us; Polka and I.”

“I hope Anon thanked you properly for saving his butt.” Flare teases, and Polka gives a firm nod before catching her own behavior and trying to avoid direct eye contact with both you and Flare.

“W-Well, we got a fair amount of loot from that ship, but I put the rest on his tab.” Polka mutters, trying to save face, but not directly bothered by the attention either.

“So was that kiss before the last battle part of the payment?” Botan smirks, the question makes Polka’s eyes widen like saucers, and her ears and tail stand at full attention. “Oh? So that was a surprise for you? It was cute how you sprang off afterward and blew apart an entire end of the ship. You’re both very cute.”

Now it was your turn to feel a little bashful, but you don’t even attempt to refute what the lioness says, much to the delight of the sheep and half-elf near you. Watame crawls forward and bombards Polka with congratulatory hugs and slaps on her arms. Flare hooks her arm in yours and bumps you into her, giving you a proud, but mischievous grin.

“And how long were you going to keep that from us, Polka? Watame, Nene, and I always lay it bare for you, and you’ve been holding out on us. Anyone else think it’s a little ironic how our resident ringmaster is the shy one when it comes to Anon?” Flare teases.

“I’m sure she was going to tell us when she was ready.” Watame gives Polka another hug before letting her have some personal space back. “It took a while for her to get comfortable with feeding off Anon around us too.”

“I’m still not completely comfortable with it…” Polka crosses her arms close to her. “I knew you guys would get like this too.”

“Oh! Like you’re so innocent and keen to mind your own business.” Flare huffs with a laugh escaping her lungs. “Anon and I can barely have a conversation with each other without you piping in with some cheeky remark, or joking that we should just go get a room.”

“That is a good point.” You nod.

“Now we can tell Polka to get a room with Anon when they start to argue!” Watame cheers, and her grin widens a little more. “Or~ we can remind her when it’s feeding time.”

“You do NOT get to do that!” Polka barks, and the bright pink flair in her cheeks makes the entire circle burst into giggles. “And you!” she then points at Flare. “You think you can suddenly dish it back to me!? Nuh uh. You’re not exactly Miss Open Book either! When you and Anon first kissed, you didn’t say a thing! I had to find out because of the love bites he left on your neck!”

It was Flare’s turn to be ruffled, as all eyes shift between her eyes and her neck, and she reflexively puts a hand over the spot you remember having a particular fondness for.

“So he’s a biter? Interesting. You might be more of a lion than you think.” Botan smirks, having too much fun being an outside observer.

“I-I don’t think I am.” You try to save face, but you are not entirely sure if it’s untrue. More investigation is required.

“You can try biting me a little next time if you want. I know you’ll be gentle.” Watame giggles at you, batting those wonderful purple eyes of hers that makes your breath get caught in your chest.

“And while I’m on a roll” Polka continues. “Out of the two of us, who knew how you really felt before you even admitted it to yourself? Hmmm? Hmmm? So I’m calling you out. Get on with it, or I’m gonna do it for you.”

“Polka!” Flare snaps. “That’s not fair! It’s been one thing after another, we’ve barely had a chance to breathe.”

“Am I missing something here?” You ask, and as you look at the half-elf you sit next to, a reminder scorches you like a burning coal upon your skin. “Oh! Nevermind that for now. Flare, I need to tell you something.”

“Wha? What do you mean?” Flare looks at you, and then her eyes light up with the same recollection that yours must show. “Oh! Before we split up before the final battle.” Her shoulders drop, and her arm slinks out from under yours and her hand finds its way to grip your palm. “I-I have something to say to you too…”

“Oh? Are we about to witness something magical?” Marine says, and you can already see the lecherous hopes she has within those eyes of hers.

“I can show you something really magical.” Flare’s free hand glows golden, and her hardened stare makes Marine consider her next words very carefully.

“I think it’ll be kinda magical.” You whisper, gripping Flare’s hand and lifting her up along with you, and her playful scorn with the pirate is doused by your own eyes; true and basking in the half-elf’s being. “So I just want to start by-”

“Really?” Polka interrupts you, not in challenge or sarcasm, but in genuine concern. “Right now? In front of everyone?”

“You don’t even know what I’m going to say.” You scoff, now taking Flare’s other hand so you both hold one of each. “Besides, why not? What I have to say can be said in front of you all. It’s something I’ve been itching to say since yesterday, maybe even longer than that.”

“No no no.” Polka whips her head so fervently that her side braid attempts to wrap around her face. “If you’re going to say what I think you are, it needs to be special.”

“What isn’t special about this?” Flare asks, equally confused as well as impatient. “We just saved an entire country, we’re celebrating, and the stars are just coming out. You just want this to be some big show for you, huh? Should Anon and I get into noble outfits and court each other to the ball? Would that be better?”

“I’d like to take Anon to a ball.” Watame says, and on the other end of the spectrum, Nene is deeply considering the pros and cons of such an event.

“While we should definitely put that on the list, that isn’t what I meant.” Polka replies, but you think you know the perfect way to bypass this meddlesome fennec and the rest of the peanut gallery.

“Actually, I just wanted to say this to Flare.” You turn to the half-elf and give her a very straight laced expression. “I think you’re truly amazing for pulling off a full body mana coat before me. It’s made me need to learn more about it. Why don’t we go practice our magic for a little bit? I think the stars are going to be just perfect for me tonight.”

“You know what, Anon? I would love to go practice some magic with you.” Flare picks up what you put down without so much as a flinch. “I also need to learn more about this new constellation spell of yours. It could come in handy for me someday if I can use it the same way as Aquarius.”

“Then allow me to escort you to our practice spot, my lady.” You offer an arm that Flare takes with the forced facade of a noblewoman.

“We’ll be back in a bit.” Flare wiggles her fingers in goodbye to all your friends as you two begin to walk towards the shoreline.

Before you get out earshot you overhear both positive words from your sheep and fennec, and not so positive words from some select lionesses. Fortunately no one was bold enough to follow after you, and at long last, you are alone with Flare after what feels like a lifetime.