Trial Two~Bonds288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqdhseo1lG
Dez awoke to the pleasant sound of birds chirping. She shifted in her bed, finding that in the time she had stayed in the palace, she had grown quite accustomed to it. It was now slightly over a month since she arrived in Solaria. If anything, she could say that everyone had been very accommodating and welcoming. She sighed into her pillow, enjoying the warm rays of sun that drifted in from the window and danced on her face. She moved to turn over but found that she couldn't. Her eyes immediately shot open as adrenaline flooded her senses. Peeking under the covers she spotted a pair of arms, thoroughly wrapped around her waist. It was then that she saw it tighten around her as she was pulled flush against someone's chest. He rammed her elbow back into their gut, sending them toppling off the bed. Once free, she rolled over and sat up, glaring at intruder.
Sin held his stomach and slowly sat up. "Well good morning to you too." He said, biting back the pain.
"What are you doing in my room?" She groaned.
Sin chuckled. "How could I pass up a chance to see you in your night gown?" He leaned back and gave her a sarcastic wink.
She looked down at her attire. A thin white night gown, one strap slipping off her shoulder, it's short length bundled on her lap, exposing her long legs. She sighed and ran a hand through her messy hair.
"Oh please. Don't you know it's rude to disrespect your elders like that."
'Don't worry I only just got here. I wanted to see if you were okay after well...y'know...getting drenched in freezing cold water and then having to walk back all soaked." Sin frowned. "And you know, you're not that much older than me. We're only like...a year apart."
Dez shrugged and got up. "You may as well be a toddler in my eyes...and I'm fine. I don't catch colds so easily." She stretched and made her way behind the screens in the corner of the room to get ready for her bath. 288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSfhleh3qq
Sin hopped to his feet as well."Wanna take a bath together then?"
Dez peeked over the screen with a look that could only read "are you serious?"
It was Sin's turn to shrug. "What? I'm a kid yeah? I need someone to help me!"
Dez emerged from behind the screen with a towel wrapped around her. She smiled which confused Sin as she never really smiled like that around him except for when she was completely smashed and stumbling out of the pub.
"Alright then. Let's go."
Sin gaped at her. "...what?"
She sauntered out in front of him, being sure to give him a good show. "You want to take a bath together right? Let's go."
Sin stared at her slack jawed and wide eyed before forcibly shaking himself from his fantasies and grabbing Dez's wrist. "Wait. If we're going to take a bath, why don't we set the mood a little. Come with me to the royal baths. It's just past the geyser springs where you usually bathe."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kWg5GAtl8
"Alright then."
She exited the room before him and Sin did a victory flip before running out after her in excitement.
•~•~•~•~•~•~•
When they arrived Dez discarded her towel and slipped inside. She sighed contently as the warmth enveloped her. Sin skipped next to her and knelt down as he began to unbutton his shirt. He placed his sword down and his necklace on top of his shirt, folding the insignia charm under his shirt which sat next to Dez's sandals.
"Are you sure you're okay with this? I know I'm a bit pushy with my jokes but I won't do anything if it really makes you uncomfortable."
Dez looked back at him with slight guilt in her eyes. "No no. Of course not. I'm okay with it. Really." She turned back to the water and stared at her reflection. The water seemed to sparkle gold and she couldn't help but find it mesmerizing. Having been given the okay, Sin removed his clothes and hopped in. He relaxed into the water, although he did situate himself quite a bit away from Dez. He was content just having the chance to be this close to her. While he did like to joke around and poke fun at her, he really didn't want to make her feel pressured into anything she wasn't comfortable with. 288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKa1iPt8E7D
Dez glanced over at Sin. He was leaning against the edge of the bath, idly sticking his toes out of the water and laughing at it like a child. For all his childish shenanigans, she found herself more comfortable in his company than anyone else. He was after all, her only friend in Solaria. If you could even call what they had a friendship that is. At first, her only incentive in getting close to him was the possibility of her ransoming him off or killing him and stealing all of his possessions so she could pawn it off eventually, but the more he tried to befriend her, the more she felt guilt begin to creep into the back of her mind. 288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueIpORA1L8
Her thoughts wandered to her crew. She hadn't seen them in some time. Illya had let them return to the Antalyian seas and kept Dez in Solaria as a representative. Dez assumed it was some kind of insurance. If her crew caused trouble, Dez would be killed as punishment, but in the month that she had been in Solaria, Illya hadn't so much as even looked at her in a threatening way. She sighed, scooping some of the sparkling water into her hands. Part of her feel like she didn't belong there. She had grown up in the slums and had spent all her life around the "scum of society." It was such a foreign feeling to suddenly have been thrown into palace life and she couldn't help but feel wildly out of place. 288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFPvaEwvje
She chanced a glance over at Sin again. The way the morning sun reflected off the already golden water made it look like shimmering drops of gold danced along the the wet strands of hair that fell into his face. Everything about him had a certain charm to it. Sure he could be annoying and reckless, but he had a way of making people feel comfortable around him, even the way he smiled seem to make him glow with warmth. 288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi34F0vZhGU
As if on cue, Sin's gaze wandered over to her and he grinned when they locked eyes. She had often heard people describe his eyes as a seething wildfire, but Dez thought otherwise. The rich red that pooled in his eyes were made gentle and warm by the shimmering rays of light against the water. Like the deep red of a flowering rose had dyed his eyes in all it's vibrant colour and along with it was softness of his petals that brushed over you whenever he looked your way. Dez turned away from him, glaring down at the water. She shut her eyes, shrugging off the strange feeling that filled her. She chalked it up to her missing her crew so much that her mind began to play tricks on her, seeking companionship elsewhere.
Several minutes of serene silence later, Dez abruptly stood up and covered herself with the towel. "Righto. That was fun. Gonna go now. Bye."
Sin didn't turn around completely so as to at least give her time to wrap the towel around herself again."What? We just got here though!"
"I'm not feeling well. I think I'll go lie down."
She bent down, pushing his clothes a side a little as she reached to pick up her sandals and before he could protest she was already too far away to hear if he did. He sunk into the water dejectedly, blowing bubbles into it.
"...was she uncomfortable after all?" He sighed.
•~•~•~•~•~•~•
Yukimi sat with her legs dangling off the edge of a floating island. She had come to the caves near the ruins she had spotted Astrid and Tobi go to. It was somewhat of an extension of the hanging gardens there, though it was quite far away, it was still visible. This place was teeming with life. Plants and fairies alike gathered and flourished here. Ri-is had escorted her here once or twice before. It interested her because there were quite a lot of medicinal herbs and the fairies there did offer to teach her how to harness it and use the magic imbued in it, though it did take quite a bit of convincing on Ri-is' part.
He had told her the story of the ruins in the distance and how the tyrant that took over before practically enslaved and bled the magical energy dry from the place. It seems as though the remaining fairies migrated to here to live in hiding. They began to learn medicinal healing magic to try and save those who were mortally wounded in the ruins. It happened so much and for so long that they became experts. Yukimi could think of no better place to learn. This particular day, she came alone, wanting to enjoy the serenity. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't the only one out for a morning stroll. She finished recording the last of the herb species for the morning and shut her book just as footsteps began to echo behind her.
She froze and slowly put her book down, not wanting to let the person know that she knew of their presence. Then again they weren't particularly trying to hide it. She decided to spin around freeze them when the footsteps got close enough but before she could even spot her target, a hand grabbed the back of her head and covered her mouth with a cloth. She grabbed the person's hands and ice began to spread across their skin. Yukimi had hoped that the stinging sensation would make the person release her but it was already too late and she could feel herself slipping in and out of consciousness. 288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQBWulM2gJ9
She recognized that the cloth had been soaked in Valerian, a plant who's roots are known to induce sleep when inhaled. She tried to hold her breath but it was too late. She had already gasped in surprise. The silhouette of a masked figure was the last thing she saw before blacking out.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkzAUD2quV
