"The arrogant prick wants to pretend like everything's normal. I'm doing his God damn job while he screws around playing orc house."

Haley sat on their huge hotel bed while Mason paced, trying to look sympathetic. But not too sympathetic.

She was never completely sure how to cure his Blake troubles. The waters there ran deep, and she knew whatever her man and his brother might say or do, they were fiercely and eternally loyal.

To get in the current of that raging river was to risk being swept away and drowned.

"It doesn't have to be normal for us to enjoy an evening," she said, looking through her swimsuits.

Mason opened his mouth to protest, then growled.

"You'll talk to the..."

"We got your note!" Rosa (and a more subdued Lexi) burst in without knocking. The dark haired beauty grinned and wiggled her hips in a dance. "I'm a good swimmer. Can we get drinks, too? The bazaar is fantastic but it's kind of exhausting. There's so many people."

Mason slumped down on the bed looking mostly defeated. Haley decided that was her cue. She hopped up and gave him a peck on the cheek, then took out a rack of recently purchased swimsuits from her storage, setting it by the bed.

"I was thinking a fashion show. Ladies? Where's Becky?"

"I'm comin'," the cowgirl called from somewhere in the living room. Then she came in hopping as she pulled off a boot, wearing nothing but panties and a tied off t-shirt, her hair mostly stuffed in a cap. "What?" she looked around at the other girls. "Ain't we goin' swimmin'?"

Mason grinned, perking up by the second. Haley understood her man well enough now that when he had some difficult problem, the best thing was female distraction. First excitement. Then satisfaction. He thought best when he was mindless and drained.

"We are," Haley said. "But I have many nice outfits and you can't go in your underwear. Blake and his guests will be there."

"Oh." Becky looked at the swimsuits and rolled her eyes. "Well shit, I don't need all that."

Haley glared and handed her a nice green two piece, but with enough coverage to look respectable.

"This one matches your eyes."

"Um," Lexi went a little pink as she looked through the options. "Where should we change?"

"Oh I think we're past that now," Haley said, lifting two options she thought might work for the short brunette. "How about these?"

With that she pulled off her top, giving Mason a little smile as she worked at the small tie on her slacks. Becky shrugged and tossed her shirt, apparently not wearing a bra. Rosa rolled her eyes but soon started stripping, quickly fighting for Mason's attention as she made a show of shimmying down her pants.

"Well what's Mason wearin'?" Becky said. "This ain't a peep show. Strip, city boy."

Mason grinned and stood, the change in his eyes already happening as he relaxed. Though Haley realized they were now all in danger of not getting out of this room.

But she thought it best to resist. He needed to talk to his brother. And just spend some time being social. And sometimes it was better to be teased a little, to wait until...

Haley slapped Mason's arm when he went for her ass. His green eyes flashed, though his mouth was still fighting a grin.

"Do you like the blue, or the grey?" Haley held up two bikinis. Mason didn't look at either of them.

"The blue."

All the girls pulled on their outfits, Lexi hopping and almost falling over as she put on the bottom, sending Rosa into a fit of laughter. Mason watched it all with hungry eyes, and Haley decided it was going well.

"Any changes?" she said, gesturing for the girls to line up. Mason just shook his head, looking a bit thoughtful now. Maybe even…content? By the time Rosa was making kissy faces and a mockery of being a model, Haley flicked her arm and gestured for the door. "OK, OK, let's go. Mason your trunks are there." She gestured to the bed.

"Um. But we haven't done our hair," Lexi said. Becky rolled her eyes.

"Girl, we're goin' swimmin', we don't need to do our hair. Come on already."

Haley took a moment to watch Mason finish stripping, blinking as he busted her with a smile. She sighed, slightly regretting not just letting him have his way with the whole group of them right there. Especially as he came forward and put his arms around her, his hands drifting down again...

"Swimming," she said, holding strong. "Sociable. Blake."

Mason's growl made her knees tremble. If he ignored her and kept touching she knew she'd cave. Whether it was the system, the pregnancy, or just how unreasonably attracted to him she was, she pretty much couldn't fight his advances for more than a few...

He took a deep breath, and held her hand.

"OK," he said. "Let's go be a big, happy, apocalypse family. There's probably a few hours before I have to kill someone again."

Haley did her best to look in control. To fight the heat radiating off her body. She gave him a critical look, and a dry tone.

"That's the spirit."

* * *

Mason definitely had mixed feelings in the 'elevator' staring at the 'Private Aquatic Center' button. He wanted to talk to Blake, to make things right between them, to just sit and joke with his brother.

But he was also still mad and didn't see how anything had changed. Blake was the selfish prick he always was, just with apocalyptic consequences. Their whole lives he couldn't see beyond his own ridiculous plans, and Mason was always left holding the bag. Except it wasn't just Mason who suffered anymore.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"You don't have to do anything, my love," Haley squeezed his hand as if reading his mind. "Just sit with us and enjoy, yes? No more."

Becky glanced at them with a brow raised.

"I missin' somethin'?"

"No." Mason squeezed Haley's hand then slapped Becky's ass so hard it echoed in the elevator. "Mind your business."

Becky made a little, pleasurable gasp and put her hands on the door, definitely not moving away from the slap. Rosa looked a bit jealously on, and Lexi started turning pink.

"No time for that, city boy," she said. Then turned back at him and winked before hitting the button for an instant ding. Then she skipped out like an excited school girl, Rosa and Lexi following, Mason and Haley still holding hands as they came after.

They really did all look amazing.

Mason enjoyed a good, long ogle at the girls in their swimsuits as they moved out to inspect the huge pool and even larger building. It was hard not to stare at Lexi in particular, who he'd just started sleeping with literally hours before…

She had a definite Becky energy, a kind of innocent, bubbly enthusiasm, currently tamped down because she was clearly shy around the girls, and Mason. He also got the impression she had a great sense of humor, she just needed to get a bit more confident to let it out. He looked forward to spending enough time with her to do that...

"There he is!" Blake floated up out of the water with his arms out, then simulated walking across it like he was Jesus Christ himself. Mason shook his head, torn between grinning and knocking his brother's ass back in the water.

"I remember your telekinetic control being a lot shittier," he said. "And I don't think Father Alban would approve."

"Father Alban was boring beyond comprehension, and as dry as you. Now get in the pool. You can turn it into waves. Or shooting jets. And I think there's hot or cold buttons. Did we try those, girls?"

From a lifetime of experience, Mason knew resisting Blake's enthusiasm was pretty much pointless. He gestured to the water, and the girls (besides Haley) all took turns leaping in.

"Did you want to sit awhile?" Haley gave him a smile and pointed at the nearby chairs. "Or should we...Mason..."

With the barest of effort, Mason scooped Haley over a shoulder and tossed her into the water, then jumped in beside her. She came up sputtering and slicked back her hair, glaring as she swore in her 'neutral', unaccented tone, which meant the system was translating a string of French curses.

Mason grinned and dove down, instantly feeling calmer as his ridiculous senses were smothered beneath the water. He decided in that moment he needed some kind of sensory deprivation tank. But he supposed just sinking himself into deep water might do the trick. It's not like he needed much air. And maybe he didn't need it at all...

Out of curiosity more than anything he crossed the pool without coming up, back and forth several times just to see how long he could last. By about the seventh pass he felt the slight need for air, but couldn't decide if it was real or just his brain not comprehending what was happening. For now he gave up and came out, not even breathing hard as he shook off the water.

"Show off." Becky stuck her tongue out at him, apparently attempting to keep up. Her body curved alluringly as she turned and dove to swim away, and Mason just watched with a smile.

Then he ignored everyone and swam more laps, moving faster and faster and eventually into another, even larger pool connected with a small underwater path. He was even breathing a little hard and feeling a lot better when he finally came out to be with the others.

"Enjoy your swim?" Haley said as he sat beside her. She'd clearly been wearing a little make-up, which had run a bit from the water and been hastily cleaned up. Her hair was in a towel, her incredible body shining beneath some kind of false, yellow light that shot down directly from a light above each chair.

"You look absolutely beautiful," he said, putting a hand to her cheek.

"Oh you won't get off that easy," she said, but had to look away to cover her smile. "Go sit with your brother. You aren't welcome here." She lay back to enjoy the light, a hand over her eyes. "It's so warm," she said with a sigh. "Like the real sun."

Mason was tempted to join her, but walked towards his brother. Blake was similarly 'sun-tanning' beside an overly dressed and reading Seul-ki, his pale body the brightest light in the damn room.

"You might consider leaving that tower occasionally," he said as he stood nearby.

"Too busy," Blake said without missing a beat. "Orcs to befriend. Worlds to save."

Jesus, Mason thought. Here we go.

"Any chance we can..." he sighed. "Not talk about orcs, or goblins? Just...agree to disagree for a day?"

Blake covered his eyes from the light and looked up, then nodded. He grinned.

"Remember my friend Benny?"

Mason snorted and sat. "I remember the smell. Didn't he have a girlfriend who stunk, too? Like they never washed their clothes?"

"Yes, well. They were a bit...unconventional," Blake agreed. Mason shook his head.

"You always made weird friends. Who was that guy from the debate team? The guy with the..." Mason gestured at his back and Blake nodded.

"Gary. Wore a ninja turtle backpack the whole freshman year. Hell of a debater, though."

Mason shook his head, then noticed Blake giving him a predatory kind of look.

"I was always good at spotting hidden gems," Blake said, the linguistic trap clamping down. "Talent and opportunity where others just saw...risk. Weirdness. The other."

"Oh for Christ's sakes," Mason said. "You really never stop, do you?"

"He who cares most, wins." Blake closed his eyes. "We can't bury our problems under the rug, brother of mine. We deal with things or they deal with us."

"You sound like a fucking hallmark card sometimes." Mason realized he’d crossed his arms and purposefully uncrossed them. They sat in silence a few moments, then Blake literally floated a pair of drinks over from a...teleporter pad? He sat up with a grin and took his from the air, and kicked Mason in the leg.

"So. Tell me about this emperor. About the tournament. About anything, really. How can I help? Oh and I have a thing to tell you after, don't let me forget."

Only Blake could cause you a fucking headache worth of problems then convince you he was the solution.

"Pretty sure the emperor's exactly what I was afraid of," he said, then shrugged when Blake gestured for him to go on. "I don't know. What he said at the beacon. What he did to John. The same old world shit. This time with superpowers."

Blake nodded, giving a 'who's surprised' kind of shrug.

"But he can't hurt us yet."

"Who knows with this game." Mason shook his head. "Tomorrow it might drain the ocean. Or make teleporting easy. Or drop us all in a big pit. We have to be ready. We need to get stronger. Even me."

"How, exactly?"

"I don’t know. Exploration. Dungeons. Mortal, awful danger. The usual."

"We may lose people," Blake said, and Mason nodded.

"No choice. Haley thinks we might be able to steal people from the east sooner or later."

Blake nodded like he agreed. Then he said some kind of wizard from an 'Arcane Order' was trying to recruit him.

"They know we're brothers," he said. "They'll try to use me, of course. Drive us apart. Who knows what."

"Obviously," Mason said, a little uneasy. Blake just grinned.

"I'll make it all very convincing."

Mason kicked him in the leg a lot harder than he'd been kicked, and Blake's face twisted as he tried to pretend it didn't hurt.

"Let me know if you need me to call you an asshole in public, or something,” Mason said. “To pretend I really don't like you. I don't mind. Like at all."

Blake grinned and held up his glass, and they both drained their drinks. Blake coughed and shook his head as the alcohol burned. Mason snorted.

"Idiot."

His brother smiled, and their eyes met for a moment before they both looked away.

"Moron," Blake mumbled, and for awhile they both sat in a comfortable silence.

The terrible, uncomfortable, Blake-shaped lump that had formed was melting a bit. It didn't change their disagreement, or Mason's genuine words that he wouldn't go back to that tower to help.

Except, OK, maybe to save his brother's life and get him out.

God damnit, he thought. But he couldn't be too angry. He knew in this life he'd never abandon his brother completely. That he'd never stop worrying about him or caring about him, even if he behaved like an idiot. They were family. It's just how it was.

"Stop your lounging' or schemin' and come help me beat Rosa's ass," Becky called from the water, the Mexican sticking out her tongue and splashing water.

Mason raised a questioning brow.

"Chicken fight." Becky clarified. "Two players, two civilians. I get Lexi. And we're gonna push Rosa's big ass in the water until she begs for mercy. So come on."

Blake shook his head and lifted another floating drink like he couldn't possibly. Mason rolled to his feet, and to a few feminine cheers.