Accepting Today for Tomorrow
> ”Things may or may not work out. The important part is that we try at least.” ~Katherine Militia
”It’s something only gods can do, Kat,” Frein said, throwing his shoes on a corner that had Katherine’s Imbelia running. She Drew six films of the cleaning Art to create a cube, making an improvised washing machine. One film was enough to clean everything, so why bother with six? Frein didn’t ask. He started working on his clothes. “Kristella and Su’karix were special cases.”
Katherine took her top off, revealing the giant scar on her torso. “Can’t we look at it at least? If there’s a possibility for any of us to change reality, then we shouldn’t let that chance slip. We can get rid of your time limit. Come on, Eli. Let me clean you up, first.”
“Hey, wait!” Elizzel tried to dodge her way out, but Katherine had already lifted her sundress. “I don’t need to wash!”
“Just enjoy it, Eli,” Frein said, entering the bathing chambers. He took a cubicle and started rinsing himself off the sweat and the day’s fatigue. “We have the entire thing to ourselves. Just the three of us.”
The faunel was quick to calm down. Their footsteps echoed within the domed walls and the singular sound of a closing door indicated the two ladies chose to be in a single cubicle.
“Here, I’ll help wash your back,” Katherine said. By the sound of her voice, she was just right next to him. “If Rindea wants you to Read Destiny anyway, manifesting shouldn’t be that far ahead. Close your eyes, Eli.”
A splash of water and Elizzel’s muffled scream manifested a devilish thought. Frein snapped the devil’s neck before it could whisper anything.
“Evanclad said it’s called a Fragment of Zerax’thum’s Core. Said it’s a meiyal-charged material that I can integrate with to have an audience with the Fallen Dragon. I don’t think that fellow’s sane enough to tell me how to become a god.”
“Evanclad or Zerax’thum?”
“Both.” Frein knew this wouldn’t be enough to convince Katherine. But he did have one that could. “Besides, we already know how to be one. And we know it’s impossible.”
“We?”
“Eli and I worked it out.”
“How? When?”
“When you were recovering,” Elizzel responded, her voice a little shy and shivering. “We worked on his Mind Palace to sort things out.”
“Essentially, Rindea told us how to do it,” Frein said, washing off the lathered soap off his skin. He left the cubicle and opened the other one. There she found two naked women bubbling and lathered with pure white soap. “You two mind if I go ahead?”
“Pervert!” Katherine and Elizzel said at the same time. The faunel screamed louder, gathering as many bubbles as possible to cover herself while the Lady didn’t care for much, expecting it already.
“Oh, come on, it’s not like we won’t have to deal with this sooner or later.” Frein left the door open and dipped his legs into the steaming, hot waters of the bathing chambers.
“What do you mean?” Katherine asked.
“The Tether,” Frein answered as if it meant everything. The rejuvenating sensation as the heat and massaging effects of the water reached his neck caused him to exhale. Relaxation induced a sort of weightlessness, making him almost forget what he was talking about.
“Evanclad told us that the Tether would make us literally inseparable and eventually become a singular thought. It will make Eli and I fall in love with each other,” he said, waiting just long enough for his girlfriend to react.
“What?” Katherine exclaimed.
Frein smiled at that. “But since I am already helplessly in love with you, Kat, the Tether will make Eli fall in love with you eventually instead. You can blame this on my gender preferences all you want, but if Eli turned out to be a guy, I’d be totally against it.”
“I…umm…” Elizzel’s frantic heartbeat echoed through the Tether. “I didn’t think you’d find it out this way.”
An awkward silence lingered for a while, disturbed only by the splashing of water. Frein enjoyed the quiet, focusing on relaxation and rest. Until two naked women slipped on either side of him.
“This ain’t half bad,” Elizzel exhaled.
Katherine’s hand slithered their way underwater, interweaving her fingers around Frein’s. She leaned across his chest to look at the faunel. Unlike her, Elizzel had kept a small distance apart from him. Only by a smidgen.
“When I first saw you, Eli, I used my Heart’s Will to make sure you weren’t hostile.”
“I know.”
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“Now, I can’t use it on you.” Katherine reached out to hold the faunel’s hand, keeping Frein in between them. He, on the other hand, kept his silence, appreciating the sight before him while keeping his sanity in check. He concentrated on the water.
“It must’ve been the Tether,” Elizzel replied. She was hesitant, but eventually accepted the Lady’s hand. Together they wrapped Frein in their embrace. “I didn’t know about the falling in love part, I swear. I must’ve forgotten about it. And I don’t want to intrude in your relationship. I’m more than happy to support you two from afar and be happy for you.”
Elizzel tried to let go, but Katherine pulled her back.
“What if I’m alright with it?” the Lady asked. “I don’t mean right now, but maybe this is something we can explore as we go? If the Tether makes you one with Frein, there’ll be like two Freins loving me. There can be only one man for me, but I didn’t say anything about other women.” Her eyes looked into his and then to the faunel, sincere and caring. “If you’re alright with it, so am I.”
Frein tightened his hand around Katherine’s and reached out with his other to hold Elizzel’s remaining free hand. The water rippled slightly around his skin, electrifying the sensation even further.
He and Katherine then looked at the faunel of Freedom and Consequences. Her lips were pressed and eyes close to tears. She let out a soft sob.
“I didn’t expect you two to be alright with this,” she said, crying fully now. “I thought for sure you were eventually going to chase me away. I don’t want to be alone anymore.”
At that, Katherine shifted over Frein, not minding which of her body parts grazed his. She wrapped her arms around Elizzel, trying to comfort her. He embraced the two of them in his arms.
Elizzel eventually calmed down. Not letting an awkward moment pass by, Frein then proceeded to divulge their discoveries to Katherine. They told her of the path to godhood and how it was now impossible due to the Divine Severing.
“Without a god to sponsor any of us to become a Worldborn, we can’t even start the process,” Frein finished.
“Maybe Zerax’thum can. When you find his Fragment, you can ask him,” Katherine suggested. “Look, it’s not totally farfetched if you think about it. If he’s powerful enough to change Destiny and make us forget about the gods, why can’t he be powerful enough to sponsor you? I’m just saying, we shouldn’t outright dismiss this. Besides, it’s oddly specific that we can remember him.”
Frein sighed and nodded. “You’re right. Eli does remember that not all gods were pushed away by the Divine Severing. We’re placing our bets on Zerax’thum as well. If he’s more than what gods are capable of, then he probably counts as one either way.”
Katherine smiled, but Frein instantly regretted what he said. He sighed again, touching the face of the one he loved most. She reciprocated by kissing his hand.
“Kat. I don’t want you to get your hopes up for this. It’s not something we can prove. We might end up spending too much time chasing this myth.”
“I know, I know.” Katherine held his hand and pressed her lips against his palm once more. “But you can’t blame me for clinging onto it, right?”
The Lady gave a glance. Her intent was strong. Too strong, in fact, that it caused a recoiling response from Elizzel’s side of the Tether.
“I think I’m done for tonight,” the faunel said. She didn’t wait for either of them to respond. “I’m happy enough to know that you’ll accept me when the time comes, but I’m not quite ready for it yet. You two enjoy the night.”
“Thank you, Eli,” Katherine said, wrapping Frein completely by sitting on his stomach.
“Where are you going?” Frein asked. He knew the faunel intended to distance herself as much as possible, but he cared enough to ask for a specific location in case something happened.
Elizzel manifested her sundress. It was a part of her in the first place. “Just the edge of town. Up north. I think that’s far enough for me not to get second-hand arousal.”
“Alright, ask Enza to go with you. And be sure to pull on the Tether if you need my help. Doesn’t matter when, we’ll go to you.” Frein tried to say it all while facing Elizzel, but Katherine had already begun ravaging him all over.
“Kat, can you wait until I’m outside?” Elizzel asked, blushing not from the heat of the water.
“No,” was the only thing Katherine said before she took a deep breath and submerged herself entirely, taking the whole of Frein into her throat.
Elizzel sighed. “Alright, have fun you two.”
Frein almost missed the words. His world now entirely focused on Katherine, intent on indeed enjoying the entire night.
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It took Elizzel the end of the marketplace to finally stave off her own desires. Seeing Evangeline again, memory or not, Dream or not, had made her long for those soft touches, those sweet kisses once more.
She had to distract herself. A good thing Frein had recommended that she bring Enza along.
The yuma was Blessed by Nature’s Favor, and was bonded to Frein’s meiyal system. And as farfetched ideas went, her curiosity—probably influenced by her host—made her try at least once. To invoke the Blessing for herself.
“Wow, is that how it works?” the yuma asked.
“They can still hear us, so let’s be a little more stealthy, okay?” Elizzel didn’t exactly expect it to work, but when her form vanished, melding out of sight rather than returning within the Tether, she was caught by surprise.
And so the two went on their way. Enza allowed Elizzel on her back and they flew low, gliding above rooftops. They continued on a few more stretches beyond the marketplace until they finally rested under a tree near the edge of town.
“We should be clear here,” she said, releasing her Nature’s Favor. Even at a distance, it was Frein who spent meiyal for her. That, in itself, was amazing. Only then did she realize she missed something.
If I can channel Nature’s Favor, maybe it also affected Frein? She found that amusing. Something to confirm for later.
Enza followed suit and sat behind her, allowing the faunel to lean back and relax on her fluff and warmth. The yuma smelled nice, an indicator of the strong bond and the meiyal she shared with Frein. It was a sweet, warm fragrance, like tea with too much sugar, or maybe a cinnamon roll. Elizzel couldn’t help but relax.
A calm breeze regularly passed through, and the hours went by in silence. Enza had fully fallen asleep, her muscles relaxing completely. Elizzel, on the other hand, reminisced on her past. From what she could remember, at least. The glorious days of when she and Evangeline rode together, blitzing through the skies, free of any worry.
Her lips curved into a smile as the breeze responded to her memories.
“Hello, Eli,” a familiar voice echoed beside her. “Others seem to call you that now. You don’t mind if I join in, right?”
Elizzel opened her eyes to find Schrodie, sitting a few paces beside her.
“Not busy tonight?” she asked.
“I thought I’d visit you at least. Ask how you’re holding up. It has been a week after all.”
“That it has.”
Schrodie’s distorted face shifted, turning. “I know you’ve been busy today, but we should talk.”
A few things came to mind. All of them dire, all of them too serious. But Elizzel couldn’t get rid of her smile tonight. The comfort and satisfaction of acceptance was too strong for her little frame.
“Alright. We can talk here. No one will bother us.”
The colors of the purple evening vanished, deteriorating into black and white.
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