Alicia and Syl waited for Kai to wake up.
Syl had already sorted out his gear using her cleaning charm while she worked on putting something together for breakfast.
One thing she knew she was going to sort out when they got out of the dungeon was their stock of supplies. She wanted fresh ingredients, something other than the grains and dried vegetables she had brought.
Kai had mentioned something called tinned food and pasteurisation as a form of preservation when they last talked about their current supplies. Alicia had just added it to her growing list of ventures to explore at a later date.
Alicia was actually contemplating starting a vegetable garden when they got out. The only problem with the plan so far was that none of them knew where to start when it came to growing vegetables, herbs and other edible plants. They weren’t even certain natural plants would grow in the dome. They had plenty of fertiliser at this point, but there was the question of whether the plants would get the right light or how they would irrigate the crop.
The light outside the kitchen window shifted slightly as Kais's core woke up. A reflection of himself, it meant that he would be stirring outside in the dungeon where he had camped.
Alicia didn’t quite understand why Kai was so hesitant about sleeping in the domain; sure, Syl teased him about the three of them all spooning together, whatever spooning was. But considering her contract with him and Syl’s and Kai’s relationship being what it clearly was, she actually didn't see the problem.
Apparently her age concerned him, which was ridiculous; Kai was the younger of the two of them by far, especially when you considered the years on Alea were actually longer than they were on his home world.
Syl had shown her what Kai was like before his race change, and living on an aether-deficient world really had aged him. But now, with his fully developed mana core, he looked only slightly younger than she did. This, of course, was another of those things Syl had asked her to let him figure out on his own.
The fact that Kai was concerned actually comforted her. Sure, she wasn't considered an adult yet, and he was terrified of taking advantage of her, but by the same measure he wasn't an adult either.
His hesitation spoke to his character, he was nothing like the men who had courted her, touting their virility every chance they got despite their significantly more advanced years.
Though, Kai’s obvious lack of confidence was growing frustrating. Syl said he was slowly coming around, but at the moment he was getting tripped up by the whole idea of having a polygamous relationship with the two of them.
Which was strange; widespread monogamy as the norm was what seemed foreign to Alicia.
On Alea, with such a low male population, polyamory was commonplace. Because of the taint, it was almost a necessity that men have as many relationships and as many children as they could just to maintain a viable population that would sustain their civilisation as they knew it.
Alicia had to wonder if Kai actually carried the taint that made only one child in ten male; if he didn’t and he had an equal or greater chance of having male progeny that also didn’t bear the taint, things would get complicated for Kai. At the bare minimum, it would be her duty to produce as many male heirs as she possibly could with him.
There it was again, duty. Though the more she thought about this particular duty, the more she thought it wouldn’t actually be so bad.
Would it be fair of her to keep Kai to herself and just let their heirs propagate the solution to the taint naturally? Surely at some point someone will notice her line’s abundance of male children; things will just sort of happen at that point. Removing the taint from the population wasn’t her responsibility; the cultural shift alone would be unfathomable.
Besides, who was she kidding? She was putting the reins on the egg before the dragon hatched; they didn’t even know if Kai was affected by the taint or not. Syl knew of no way to test him, however she believed her master probably had the means. But that would have to wait until she told him her decision to go through with the contract... Wait, was that actually her decision? Was she going to keep with the contract once all the world wonder stuff was sorted?
Alicia squealed and stamped her feet as she tried to clear her mind. She needed to get control of herself; thinking of Kai like this had shamefully coloured her ears again. If she weren’t alone right now, she would be mortified.
Syl's timing was perfect as always; she thundered down the stairs that lead up to the bedroom and asked, “You thinking about Kai again?”
“No, i- I was thinking about babies, baby boys and lots of them and I…” Alicia stammered as she tried to hide her shame from Syl.
“So you were thinking about Kai,” Syl grinned, “does Alea have those weird old wives tales about certain positions resulting in boys?”
“Positions?”
“Oh Alicia, darling, you’re making this too easy. And I thought I enjoyed teasing Kai about this kind of thing, but an innocent virgin like yourself-"
“You are a virgin too!” Alicia cried as she turned a deeper shade of red.
Syl coughed. “We did things. I mean, he doesn’t remember, and I didn’t have a body, so we couldn't really do things… It's complicated. But-”
“Virgin!” Alicia said, sticking out her tongue.
Alicia had come to love these exchanges with Syl; sure, Syl was crude and took a twisted pleasure in embarrassing her. But Syl's openness and vulnerability came through from time to time, and Alicia often felt this must be what it was like to have a sister her own age she could actually engage with without all the politics involved.
There was a slight, almost imperceptible shift in the domain around them.
Syl's eyes went wide. “He is coming in; not a word of this.”
Alicia was still a deep shade of crimson when Kai appeared between the two of them in the kitchen. He took a moment to look between them as he rubbed his freshly shaved chin.
“Ah great, I just shaved; can one of you two let me know if I got everything this time?” Kai said, oblivious to the tension in the room.
Alicia was still blushing, and she dared not move.
Luckily the clueless idiot hadn’t noticed her obvious embarrassment; either that or he had thankfully chosen to ignore it. It was actually hard to read which it was with Kai, which made the whole exercise of seductive body language and other obvious tells frustratingly mute with the man. Not that she had worked up the courage to do anything intentional yet. However, Syl insisted she was doing things subconsciously, but Kai was either being overly cautious or not getting any of it.
Syl gave her a quick knowing look before getting up to take Kai’s chin in her hand, giving him a lingering inspection. She was well within his personal space and had risen to the tips of her toes, her face far closer to his face than it ever needed to be. All Kai had to do was lean in a little, and his lips would be hers.
The idiot stared at her lips, his eyes flickering to Syl's own and back again as if begging for permission.
He shifted, and Alicia couldn’t help but take a breath; it was happening.
The sharp intake caught Kai's attention; his eyes flicked her way.
In that moment he was distracted. Syl leaned in and kissed him gently on his cheek. “Got it all, smooth as a baby's bottom,” she said as she stepped back, knowing he had missed the moment.
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Kai coughed as he gently touched his cheek where her lips had just parted. He looked about, abashed and upon seeing what Alicia had prepared sitting on the hob, he said, “Is that breakfast? Good, yes, I'll head back out; send me a bowl and meet me as soon as you're both ready.”
Lost for words at what had just happened, she just nodded.
“Great, see you both soon,” Kai said, vanishing from the domain, running away.
Syl let out a long breath as she picked up a bowl from the counter and filled it.
“I am- I’m so sorry," Alicia apologised. "I was holding my breath, and he was going to actually kiss you, and then I-"
“No, he was about to step back…” Syl said solemnly as the bowl of stew she prepared for Kai disappeared.
Syl rounded on her with a big smile on her face, “Did you see him though? He was just begging for permission, dying for it. I call that progress.”
“I don’t know how you do it.”
“I do it for the both of us, all of us. I know it’s not healthy. But if I jump him the way I want to, he will always have that thing in the back of his head. He will always be waiting for us to make the first move, and neither of us wants that.”
“You could talk to him,” Alicia suggested.
“Where's the fun in that?” Syl sighed, “Besides, as you know, I already tried jumping him once. Broke my heart when he didn’t reorganise me. This is my punishment for what I took from him.”
Syl sat down with her own bowl. “What I would give for someone who is not romantically involved that can whisper, ‘Go get them,’ in his ear. He desperately needs a guy friend.” Syl shifted in her seat. “I desperately need him to get a guy friend.”
“I am not sure a guy friend from Alea would be what you need. The men of this world are so used to casual relationships that the moment someone as attractive as you approaches them, they will just try and manipulate the situation to their favour, not Kais,” Alicia said all too knowingly.
“I'm actually contemplating offering Thanric the omniglot skill if he can just give Kai some sage advice. How is the old man with the ladies?”
“He is the epitome of a bachelor. He’s so old that anyone who approaches him finds an ancestral link when they do the test to see how viable any offspring will be. That is actually why everyone also calls him great-grandfather. Though he prefers the sage.” Alicia chuckled, “It's actually rumoured he and my mother share an infatuation… complete nonsense, but you know how rumours can be.”
“So what you're saying is the man used to fuck a lot but has since retired,” Syl grinned. “When we get out of the dungeon, we need to have a long conversation with the great-grandfather about his latest charge about neglecting one of nature's most basic needs.”
Alicia blinked at Syl across the table as she tried to interpret the crass statement.
“Eat up; we need to get you out of that t-shirt and into your gear if you're going to join us anytime soon,” Syl said.
Alicia looked down and groaned as she realised she was still in the oversized t-shirt Syl called sleepwear.
“Relax, he only drank in a very modest amount of your… Er, modesty,” Syl teased.
Half an hour later, Alicia was ready, her hair braided, her armour fitted and with her bow, gift in hand, she exited the domain to find Kai sitting cross-legged, deep in meditation.
She coughed, trying to get his attention, but he didn’t show any signs of hearing her.
She coughed again, more exaggerated this time.
“Won't work; he is getting better at meditating; he actually manages to clear his mind. But he is unfortunately losing track of his surroundings as a consequence.”
Alicia was a little taken aback. “You are not supposed to lose track of things when meditating?” She asked.
“No, if anything, proper meditation allows you to tune into your surroundings.” Syl said as if it was obvious.
She really was terrible at meditation; at least it was something she had in common with Kai.
“So shake him like last time?”
“That or you could take this chance to steal a kiss; go on, I dare you.”
Alicia shook her head. “I would never, not even on a dare.”
“Doesn’t have to be the lips; cheeks are fine. We all start somewhere after all.”
“I am not-“
Kai shifted, and Alicia shut her mouth so fast she actually bit her tongue.
“You know we complain about him, but in some ways, you’re just as bad. I would say you were the one made for him if I wasn’t literally standing here.” Syl said, shaking her head.
Kai roused, opening his eyes, he flexed his arms and shoulders and asked, “Bad at what?”
“Meditating!” Alicia squeaked past her still saw tongue.
“Riiight…” was all he said as he eyed them both suspiciously.
“Before we head through the archway and find out what we are dealing with, there are some things we should know.” Kai said as he got up and faced Alicia directly.
Her heart thumped in her chest.
“Just what exactly can you do? I’ve seen your archery, and that alone is enough for me, but I remember Syl saying you were actually a support type.”
“Oh, oooh,” Alicia relaxed, “Yes, I know some standard support magic, nothing too drastic, just stuff that enhances your natural abilities.”
Kai nodded along.
“I have to be selective with what spells I use; once they are cast, they actually use your own resources until the spell construct falls apart. For example, reinforcing durability will take a portion of your mana and stamina to enhance your toughness. Also, some of the spells I know conflict; mana regen will cause your natural mana regeneration to go up, but it is at the cost of reducing your stamina regeneration. As stamina regeneration does the opposite, casting those two spells on the same person is pointless. I usually have to monitor the individual and change which spells I have cast on them depending on the situation.”
“Sounds like a lot of work; I just kill things.”
Alicia shrugged. “If I can help you kill things faster, am I not also technically just killing things through you while I sit back in relative safety?”
“So, what are you planning on casting on Kai?” Syl asked.
Alicia thought for a moment about her full repertoire of support spells before saying, “That is difficult to say. In my last party everyone had a defined role. The caster got mana regen, flow and focus. The defender got health or stamina regen, then limber and reinforce… Kai is a multiclass, or dual-type; the spells I use will depend on him and what he needs in any given situation. You, however, are purely magic, but I don’t see how I can get a spell to hook into you.”
“Could try casting them on her in the domain?” Kai suggested.
Syl shook her head. “I already thought of that. Unfortunately, one of the things I learnt from my skill tomb is that casting spells on metaphysical beings is totally different. Alicia's support spells won't hook properly.”
“You could at least try; it might work. What were the spells again? mana regen, flow and focus?”
“Flow enhances your mana flow, making spells easier to cast. Focus… focus enhances your state of mind, putting you into a state of flow, not to be confused with mana flow; it is a melting together of action and consciousness, if that makes any sense.”
“Do things become sharper, easier to do?” Kai asked, trying to work out what she meant in terms he understood.
“Yes.” Alicia snapped her fingers.
“You actually have a support spell that can put me in the zone?”
“The zone?” Alicia asked, unsure what the unfamiliar term meant.
“Yes, it is a colloquial term for the spell you described,” Syl said.
Kai grinned.
“Ah, I cannot use that one on you for too long; it has negative effects when it wears off; you can become confused, disoriented if it has been on you too long.”
Kai tsked his tongue disappointedly, “Anyway, pop back to the domain and see if mana regen or flow has any effect.”
Syl looked at her and shrugged, the gesture letting her know it was best to humour Kai.
It only took a moment before they were back standing before him, the both of them shaking their heads.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but no extra mana regeneration on top of our already ludicrous amount.” Syl said as she made a show of patting him on the shoulder sympathetically.
Kai didn’t seem to let it bother him too much. He just gave both Syl and her a quick assessing look before his gaze lingered on her hair. He ran his hand through his long black hair, brushing it back behind his ears.
“I've been meaning to ask. Are either of you any good at cutting hair? Mine keeps getting in my face.”
Syls grinned, “I don’t think we have a proper pair of scissors, but Alicia has been talking about giving you a good braid for days now.”
“I mean, if it will help keep things out of the way in a fight.” Kai said faster than she could object.
Alicia squeaked, dismissing her bow, gift, so she could catch a length of cord and a comb that appeared in front of her.
Kai and Syl looked at her expectantly as she held the two new items.
“Okay…” was all she said as she wondered where Syl had gotten the comb.
Kai seemed clueless as he turned away from her, crouching down to make it easier to pull his hair back; they had talked about dwarves, about their beards and braids. Surely Kai hadn’t forgotten; surely he could figure out what this meant culturally.
“Do two braids,” Syl said as she drifted over to watch. “No hands; I can’t do one for myself.”
“Does it matter so long as it keeps my hair out of my face?”
Syl’s chuckle didn't help in the slightest.
Alicia felt numb as she worked two braids into Kais's surprisingly thick hair, each of them starting at the temples and working back to keep his hair out of the way.
Getting a nod of approval from Syl, she stepped back and watched as Kai experimented with his new hair. He flicked his head back and forth, but the braid on each side kept everything in place.
“How does it look?” he asked as he got up.
“You look like a big, tall, handsome viking.” Syl said as she drifted around him assessing Alicia's handiwork, “Doesn’t he, Alicia?”
“Would the two of you please give me more context when talking about your world? I have no reference for what a viking is… but yes, it looks good.”
“Ah, sorry about that,” Kai said as he looked thoughtful. “Viking is a hard one; they were raiders… you know what, never mind. We have wasted enough time; you two ready?”
Alicia nodded as she called out gift from wherever it went when she dismissed it.
“Actually, there is one last thing,” Syl said as she drifted over to Kai; she cupped her hand to his ear and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. “When a boy lets a girl braid his hair, it means they are officially courting each other. That’s one braid for me and one braid for Alicia.”
Kai looked over his shoulder at her.
“It is just a trend; I mean, if you were a dwarf and it was your beard, then yes…” Alicia explained frantically.
Kai just constructed a few mana bolts to hover over his shoulder as he conjured one of his swords and stepped through the archway.
“Oh, he ran away,” Syl tutted. “He didn’t protest; that’s a win for both of us.”